Paper Planes & Fireflies
by DevilsThunder
Summary: Tori's mind was filled with blanket forts. Her fingers felt paper folding. Her skin hummed with the warmth of summer. But, it couldn't be the same Jade, could it? Jori/slightly AU
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, although I have enjoyed taking them out of their boxes to play a bit.**

**Paper Planes & Fireflies**

_When she was seven, Tori Vega had a friend. She thought they would be friends forever. Almost sisters, really, since Tori couldn't stand the one she actually had, and Jade lived just next door. She often asked her parents if they could adopt Jade and send Trina off to live with the Wests. Proclamations like that were always answered by Trina huffing and stomping her foot and, more often than not, calling Tori a 'stupid little kid' and then whining incessantly throughout the rest of dinner. Trina hated it when Tori's best friend was over, which was often. Jade slept over every Saturday night, and sometimes on Fridays. They would take all of Tori's blankets and build a castle, even though Jade always insisted on calling it a fort. The window sill, Tori's dresser, Tori's desk, and the headboard of Tori's bed were designated corners. They would gather chairs from throughout the house and scatter them around her room, using them to keep the blankets lifted. Tori didn't have a large room, exactly, and the castle/fort ended up being more chairs than space to roam around. Tori and Jade would sit on the floor with flashlights and tell each other stories. Usually about a fiendish monster that shared some startling similarities to Trina. They would laugh, and joke, and sing, and sometimes Tori's mom would knock on the door to check up on them. The first time she opened Tori's bedroom door and knocked over a chair that caused the entire blanket structure to collapse was also the last. From then on she just talked to the girls through the door, seeing if they wanted snacks or to watch a movie that Tori's dad had rented on his way home from work. The answer was usually no, but she asked anyway._

It was her first day. Tori was excited, and nervous, and newly single, she told herself, remembering that she had broken up with her boyfriend Danny not too long ago. She was ready. Or, at least, ready to be frustrated all day. She had been there for, like, a minute and she was already lost. Trina had abandoned her, claiming that she couldn't risk her reputation by being seen with the 'geeky new kid'. Tori had never really experienced nerves like she had now. Not unless you counted the showcase, where she had to give an impromptu performance with a boy named Andre after Trina's tongue got all swollen and gross. But even then, Tori's nerves had faded and disappeared altogether once she started singing, only coming back once she was finished and had to deal with the raucous applause and congratulations. She couldn't really understand why people were telling her what a great job she had done. She had just gone out there and… sung. That was it, nothing special. As she wandered through the hallways, trying to find her first class, she still couldn't believe that they had asked her to attend. Some of the other kids in the showcase were amazing. Like, actually awesome, and she was just Tori. She'd never even really sang outside of the shower, and suddenly she was expected to do performing and acting and singing and dancing and all kinds of other things that made her insides twist and contort and flip around like there wasn't any other organs in her belly except for her acrobatic stomach. She saw a janitor and asked him for directions, thanking him like a hundred times as she sped off down the hall in the direction he pointed. She stopped outside the classroom, taking a deep breath as she steeled herself and walked inside. It wasn't so bad. Small, half the room taken up by a slightly raised stage. Plastic chairs that didn't really look terrifying or threatening at all. She spun around to sit down, feeling a body blocking her way. She gasped at the boy in front of her, a coffee cup held precariously in his hand, liquid still dripping from its edge. And as she was apologizing, trying to wipe some of the excess coffee from his shirt, a harsh voice cut through the room. "Dude! Why you rubbing my boyfriend?" Tori stuttered, still patting the stranger, and brought her eyes away from his chest. "I'm sorry, I spilled his coffee and-"

"Get away from him!" The girl was staring at Tori like she couldn't believe that some chick was still daring to touch his chest. Tori yanked her hands down to her side as the boy smiled at her. "It's no big, really," he said calmly. "Oh? So you think she's prettier than me?" The girl snapped, cocking a hip out to the side. The boy cringed like he knew he wouldn't be able to win the argument and settled instead on sitting on one of the plastic chairs set up in the classroom. He plucked at the wet fabric clinging to his chest as his girlfriend shot Tori a death glare and dropped into the chair next to him.

Tori groaned as she took a seat in the back, thinking that she couldn't have gotten off to a better start at this new school. She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees and her face buried in her hands, wanting nothing more than to leave and go back to a normal high school where she had friends and knew the teachers and wouldn't have daggers thrown at her first thing in the morning. She heard the teacher start talking at the front of the class and raised her head, her hands dropping between her knees. Her attention was stolen, though, when she caught that girl's eyes staring at her. Tori's eyebrows furrowed together as the girl's head whipped around to the front of the class. There was something about her, and Tori wasn't sure if it was just because she seemed like she might actually want to hurt Tori, but something was stirring in the back of Tori's mind. Their teacher chose that exact moment to notice Tori. "Ah! Who are you?" He asked quickly, obviously startled if the way he physically recoiled was anything to judge by.

Tori gave a small smile and wave. "Tori Vega. I just transferred from-"

"Fascinating!" He clapped his hands together. "Well I'm Mr. Sikowitz, but no one calls me that."

Tori narrowed her eyes. "What do they call you, then?"

"Sikowitz," he said with a grin that slowly fell. "They just, don't, usually use the Mister part, I suppose. Anyway! Tawny-"

"Tori."

"Whatever, why don't you come up here and we'll play a little Freeze Scene to warm up! Ha! Get it? Freeze? Warm up?" He grabbed the end of the scarf hanging around his neck and threw it over his shoulder as he jumped off the stage and headed toward the back of the classroom.

"I don't know what that is." Tori felt a blush of embarrassment warming her cheeks as several heads turned back to look at her.

"It doesn't matter, Corey, just get up there!" Sikowitz encouraged her by nudging her chair forward with his foot as he passed by.

"My name is Tori," she grumbled as she got up and walked up on the small stage.

"Andre! Stage!" Sikowitz gave an enthusiastic swing of his arm.

Andre smiled at Tori as he hopped up onto the stage and she returned it, although her smile was much tighter. Andre leaned in and nudged her arm with his elbow. "Relax, you'll be great. Just have fun with it." Tori was just grateful that she actually knew someone at this school besides her crazy sister.

Sikowitz leaned against the wall at the back of the class and folded his arms across his chest. "Now, since Tori has never played Freeze before, we'll start off with something easy." Tori loosened up and beamed at the simple fact that her teacher had gotten her name right. "Who has a suggestion?"

Several students started talking, throwing out ideas that sounded ridiculous and random and Tori felt the nerves and blush return in full force because of it. Mostly though it was because that girl was purposely _not_ looking at her, deciding instead to stare at her own boots in an almost uninterested boredom.

"Alright, settle down!" Sikowitz called as he adjusted his legs, propping one of his feet up on an empty chair. "Okay, Andre, you're a mailman trying to deliver a special letter, but there's a wild animal attacking your leg." Andre nodded and Tori could see the wheels in his head turning. The butterflies in her stomach had turned into fully grown birds beating against her insides. "Toby, you are a disgruntled airport employee who believes that everyone is trying to smuggle a rare sub-species of raccoon onto a flight." Tori opened her mouth, to correct her name again or ask what was going on, she didn't know. But it didn't matter because Sikowitz plowed on. "So, we'll give these charming children a minute or two to entertain us, and then, once one or both of them is in an awkward or amusing position, someone from the audience will yell out 'Freeze!', at which point the players onstage must freeze exactly how they are. Whoever yelled freeze must jump up on stage, and tag one of the players." Tori's breathing had sped up. He was talking too quickly and it was too new and she was too lost and it was all too much way too fast. "Once a player has been 'tagged out'," Sikowitz said, air quotes and all, "they leave the stage and the oncoming player takes up their exact position. It is up to the oncoming player to start off a new scene based on their positions. Got that?" A round of yeahs sounded, drowning out Tori's desperately murmured 'no'. "Excellent. And… action!"

Tori struggled at first. It was like being thrown into the deep end with no idea how to swim, or even float. But Andre was encouraging, with little nods of his head telling her she could do it, and he took most of the burden of the scene on himself, so Tori was more or less just reacting to what he said. After a minute or two, she started to feel a rhythm and got a bit brave. It was ridiculous, the characters, what they were saying, how Andre kept half-falling over only to jerk himself upright and shake his leg, all of it. But she found herself grinning inside and before she knew it, she was bent over, holding onto his foot as someone shouted 'Freeze'. Tori waited, her face almost buried in Andre's bent knee, her hands wrapped around his shoe, trying to help him stay balanced when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She stood up and saw the boy whose coffee she had spilled smiling at her. He gave her a wink as she stepped out of the way and off the stage and heard them start up a new scene behind her, Andre taking on a strange English accent as the other boy offered to spit shine his shoes. The girl was still avoiding her gaze as Tori walked past her back to her seat.

_When she was eight, Tori Vega had a best friend. During the summer, there was never a pattern to when Jade would sleep over. Sometimes on weekends, sometimes during the week. They didn't have school, so Mrs. Vega didn't mind if Jade spent the night. Tori went to camp during the day, more often than not coming home with bruises or dirt smeared on her face from a fight she had gotten into with Trina, but Jade was always waiting. Sitting on the front steps of her own house, her eyes lifting from the ground as Mrs. Vega's car pulled into the driveway. She never even had a chance to put it in park before Tori was unbuckled and clambering out of the car, Jade's enthusiasm matching as she jumped down her steps and jogged over. Sometimes they'd stay in Tori's house if it was raining, but if the sun was shining and the air was warm, they would go to the park down the street. Tori liked climbing on top of the monkey bars. Jade liked curling up in the tube at the top of the slide. Sometimes, if the weather was really warm and their parents let them, they would bring jars to the park at nightfall and try to catch fireflies. Trina was usually sent to bring the girls home if it got too late. Tori's jar would still be empty, while Jade would be bent over, staring intently at the group of tiny lights in her own jar. She would wave Trina away, Tori would laugh, and then, with a small smirk, Jade would unscrew the cap on her jar and watch, almost in awe, as the glowing bugs flew to freedom, spreading out into the dark air around her. One time, in the beginning of August, Jade let them all go, and then, quicker than Tori's eyes could actually follow, she brought the jar up and snapped the lid down, recapturing one of them. "Why are you keeping it?" Tori asked as they walked back home, Trina stomping her way down the sidewalk far ahead of them. "I like them," Jade shrugged, the jar clamped between her hands, pressed up against her stomach. "I do, too," Tori smiled. They walked in silence, Trina eventually disappearing from view, and the girls slowed to a stop at the bottom of Tori's driveway. Jade looked at her house, a couple of windows lit up from the inside, with a frown. Tori poked her elbow into the girl's side. Jade made a movement, almost like a squirm, and clutched the jar a little tighter. "They've been fighting. Every night this week," she said quietly. Tori looked from Jade, to the Wests' house, and back again. She grabbed Jade's elbow and pulled her up her driveway. "C'mon. I've got pajamas you can borrow."_

_The firefly was dead when they woke up in the morning._

Sikowitz's game continued for a while, and being in the audience was actually pretty fun. Tori was amazed at how quick some of her classmates were. Changing characters and scenes with literally one line of set-up. She didn't dare call 'Freeze', but she did watch carefully each time someone else did. She thought about what they might do with the positions, imagined what sort of scene they could possibly come up with. She was never right, but she was proud of herself for trying. It was a quieter sort of participation. Eventually Sikowitz called an end to the game once a girl with bright red hair had made a boy be a giant stick of cotton candy. She couldn't really do anything after that, and the scene had sort of stalled. It was still funny, but Tori leaned back in her chair as the people on stage took their seats and the teacher returned to the front of the class. "That. Was. Excellent!" A coconut had materialized in Sikowitz's hand, a crazy straw poking out from the top of it. He took a loud slurp as his eyes scanned the room. "It was also exhausting, so break into your groups and work on that assignment from last week while I enjoy a refreshing beverage. Tony!" Tori resisted the urge to roll her eyes and looked at her teacher as all the other students started moving chairs around and shifting seats. "Since you weren't here, just find a group to join and they can fill you in, hmm?"

Tori nervously glanced around the room and sighed with relief as she caught Andre's eye. He grinned and motioned for her to join him. She grabbed her bag and walked over to where his group was gathering. "Tori, this is Robbie and Cat. Guys, this is Tori."

Tori waved at the girl with the bright hair and a boy with a puppet on his hand. "Andre," Robbie whispered, "you didn't introduce Rex."

"Rex?" Tori asked, almost afraid of the answer.

The puppet's head turned in her direction. "At your service, pretty lady."

Tori caught Andre's eye and he shook his head, mumbling, "Don't ask."

"I think it's amazing how you have so many names," Cat chirped. "I tried to get my mom to call me Freddie once. She didn't do it, though."

Tori laughed nervously. "I only have the one name. Just Tori."

"Oh." Cat didn't seem phased in the slightest and turned her attention to Andre as he cleared his throat.

"Right, so about this scene we're doing."

Tori listened intently as Andre explained that they had been assigned to write and perform a dramatic scene based around someone dying. It had been decided that Robbie would be dying, Rex was his grieving brother, Cat his heartbroken girlfriend, and Andre was the doctor delivering the bad news. They decided that Tori could play Robbie's mother. "You can do an old lady voice, right, Tor?" Andre asked, glancing up from his notebook.

"I sure can, sonny boy," Tori attempted.

Cat leaned forward and patted Tori's knee sympathetically. "It's okay. There's still time to work on it."

"Maybe I should be the one who's dying," Tori chuckled.

"As long as I get to give you one last kiss before you go, I'm game," Rex said, his head bobbing as his mouth opened and closed.

"Robbie!" Cat cried, smacking him on the arm. "You're scaring Tori!"

"It wasn't me!"

Tori laughed along with Andre and settled a bit more comfortably in her seat. They all discussed ways to incorporate Tori into the script. They hadn't managed to write much yet, so Andre assured her it wouldn't be a problem at all. They all talked, making jokes and occasionally suggestions for the scene. Andre would jot down ideas. Tori tried to focus and keep her eyes from wandering across the room, where that girl and her boyfriend were sitting alone, both of their backs turned to her. The girl lifted her head and turned it slightly, as if she could feel Tori's eyes on her back, and Tori quickly looked back to Robbie, who was being verbally abused by his own puppet. The rest of class passed relatively quickly, and as soon as the bell rang, Tori was digging in her bag to find her schedule. "What you got next?" Andre asked, peering at the paper as Tori unfolded it.

"Ugh, math." Andre and Robbie groaned along with Tori, but Cat let out an excited 'yay!' "Anyone know where room L104 is?"

"That's my next class, too!" Cat announced with an enthusiastic clap of her hands. "It's by the library. C'mon, Tori, I'll show you." Tori waved bye to Andre and Robbie as Cat tugged on her elbow and led her from the classroom.

_When she was nine, Tori Vega had a surrogate sister. Her actual sister hated it, simply because Jade would always take Tori's side in an argument. And it's not like Trina could argue with Tori when Jade wasn't there, because Jade was _always _there. It was like Trina had two annoying little sisters to deal with, and that was entirely too many as far as she was concerned. Tori didn't care though, because every day after dinner she would go to her room and open her window. Like clockwork, Jade's window would open right after and Tori would grin as a small paper plane flew across the small distance between their homes and right into her eagerly waiting hands. Tori would unfold it, read it, usually laugh but sometimes frown, write a response, refold the plane, and send it soaring back. They talked about how dumb Trina was and how Tori wished her sister had never been born, which Jade pointed out would mean that Tori would be Trina instead, and they both hated and laughed at the idea. Sometimes they would talk about homework. Jade couldn't understand the process of photosynthesis to save her life, and Tori always got a laugh out of her comments about how their science teacher, Mr. Caffrey, smelled like rotten fish and that's why Jade couldn't pay attention in class. On rare occasions, Jade's message would just say 'They're fighting again'. Tori's face always scrunched up when those notes came through her window. So she would smooth out the paper on her desk, grab some colored pencils and draw a picture. It was usually something silly, like Trina drawn as a fire-breathing dragon, or Mr. Caffrey's head on top of a fish's body, or Trina as a monster and Tori, sword in hand, fighting her off. She grinned every time she heard Jade's laughter echoing between their windows._

The rest of the morning passed by pretty quickly. She wasn't too far behind in math, having covered some precalc in her old school, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that she was actually ahead in her science class. After that she had a 'creative expression' dance class with Andre and the boy whose coffee she spilled, who she found out was called Beck. And he was actually really nice, brushing off Tori's apologies about his shirt and insisting that it was fine and just an accident. Tori still felt bad about the dark stain in the middle of his chest, though. Once the bell rang, Tori followed Andre to his locker and then to a table outside for lunch. Tori grinned when she saw that Cat and Robbie were already sitting there, talking. They asked Tori how the rest of her morning had gone, what other classes she had, if she was totally lost yet and if so, Rex offered (in a suggestive tone) to help her in any way he could. Tori turned down his awkward offer as politely as she could and then Robbie scolded his puppet for being inappropriate.

"I wonder where Beck and Jade are?" Cat asked absentmindedly, picking at the salad in front of her.

"Probably fighting again," Robbie said as he took a sip of his soda.

"Or making up from a fight," Rex said in a lewd drawl.

Andre said something, but Tori wasn't really listening. Jade. Beck's girlfriend, Jade. It struck something inside of her, at the back of her mind, and she felt it reverberate into her fingers. "Jade?"

The others all turned to her and Andre spoke first. "Yeah, Beck's girlfriend. That girl from Sikowitz's class?"

"Ganky and meaner than a Northridge chick who just got told she couldn't sing at karaoke," Rex piped up.

"What's her last name?" Tori asked.

"West." Cat and Andre answered at the same time. "Why?" Cat tilted her head to side, looking curiously at Tori.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just wondering." Tori's mind was filled with blanket forts. Her fingers felt paper folding. Her skin hummed with the warmth of summer. She shook her head as the conversation changed and carried on around her. She continued to pick at her lunch, trying to pay attention. These kids were nice, and she didn't want to seem like a total spazoid on her first day. Although, if Cat and Andre still hung out with Robbie, puppet permanently attached to his hand and all, she didn't have to worry too much.

_When she was ten, Tori Vega had a problem. She noticed Jade getting quieter. She didn't sleep over on weekends anymore. Sometimes her window wouldn't open, and no notes would fly through the night between them. On Halloween, Jade didn't want to go out trick or treating and Tori was stuck going with just Trina, who insisted on charging Tori a 'big sister tax' on her candy, so that by the time they got home Trina's bag was twice as heavy as her own. Tori went straight to her room and opened her window. She saw a light was on in Jade's room and grabbed her bag of candy. She started throwing pieces at Jade's closed window. She didn't mind wasting tootsie rolls and Snicker's, since she didn't really like them anyway. Eventually Jade came to the window and opened it. "What?" she hissed. Tori was surprised. It was the first time she'd ever heard Jade mad at her. "Are you okay?" she asked cautiously. Jade glared at her for a moment before disappearing from the window. Tori wilted, wondering if she had done something wrong. She dropped her bag down by her feet and was startled when, a moment later, a small paper plane flew into her room. It hit the side of her bed and fell to the floor. Tori ran over and picked it up, her fingers quickly working the folds and creases out of the paper. She gasped when she saw what it said. 'They're getting divorced'. Tori sat on the edge of her bed, having no idea how to respond to that. She couldn't just draw a picture, could she? Jade's parents were getting divorced, and that wasn't something that a silly picture of Trina with tentacles would fix or make better. It was a real thing, a _grown-up_ thing. She was just about to stand up and go back to the window when another plane soared into her room. She lunged forward and caught it mid-air, almost ripping the paper in her eagerness to open it. 'After Christmas Mom is taking me to live with Grandma and I'm switching schools'. Tori ran to her window, two pieces of paper clutched in her left hand, and stuck her head out into the cool night air. Jade's window was shut, the curtains drawn, and the lights off. Tori's fist tightened around the notes and something inside of her crumpled along with the paper._

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and Tori joined the throng of students as they made their way back inside. She stuck close to Robbie, although tried to keep distance between herself and the puppet, and followed him to their theater history class. The teacher was nice, offering Tori help if she needed it to catch up, and gave her a sheet of paper on what she'd need to study to catch up. Rex started to say something, only to be quickly silenced by a dangerous glare from Tori. "Oh look, it's Jade 2.0," Rex mumbled, Robbie nodding along in agreement. Tori sank into her desk and focused instead on the teacher until the bell rang.

Her next class was in screenwriting and analysis, and Tori was relieved when she walked into the room and found that she was early. The school was pretty big and she was glad that she was starting to get a feel for the building. She took an empty seat near the windows, dropping her bag on the floor next to her feet, and waited as other students started coming in. She sat up in her chair and looked out the window. This side of the school faced the street outside, and Tori saw a small coffee shop on the other side. It looked cool, with a small patio that jutted out onto the large sidewalk, glass doors open to let the warm air in, a man playing guitar with the case open in front of him. Maybe she'd stop in after school and check it out. If she could convince Trina to wait around, or go in with her, since her sister was her ride. Tori looked away from the window and saw Jade walking across the classroom, dropping into a desk a few rows over. Tori shifted in her seat, keeping her eyes on the girl. It couldn't be the same Jade. Her hair was much darker, for one. When they were kids, Jade's hair was a light brown, and if she spent too much time in the sun during the summer, it got even lighter. Plus there was the fact that this Jade seemed to be, well, kind of a bitch? Her mouth was pressed into a hard scowl that seemed to creep all the way up her face, into and up past her eyes.

Tori blinked and looked to the front of the class as the teacher closed the door and walked towards his desk. There was the brief introduction when he saw her, and Tori couldn't help but notice Jade had turned her head away, her hair falling like a curtain that completely blocked Tori off. The teacher gave Tori a sheet of terminology that she would need to memorize and understand for the class, and then carried on with the lesson. Tori tried to pay attention, she really did, but her gaze kept roaming across the classroom, always falling on Jade. She had tucked her hair back behind her ear, and Tori spent more time staring at Jade's profile than at the teacher or the words that had appeared like magic on the chalkboard behind him. She shook her head, trying to clear it, and focused on what the teacher was saying, feeling completely lost.

_When she was eleven, Tori Vega had an acquaintance. She and Jade would hang out on weekends, usually having their parents drop them off somewhere with Trina, grudgingly, going along to watch out for them. Jade didn't want to go to Tori's, because she didn't want to see her old house or the new family that had moved in, and she didn't want Tori to see the apartment she and her mom lived in. Tori wasn't really surprised by that, because even when Jade had lived next door, they hardly spent any time in her house. It was always Jade going to Tori's, and never really the other way around. But Jade herself was different, and Tori didn't know how to fix it. Eventually Jade stopped hanging out, but they'd still talk on the phone sometimes. Tori's mom told her it was natural to make friends and lose friends, that it was all part of growing up. Sometimes growing up meant growing apart, and it was sad but you couldn't always help it. Tori had other friends at school, and Jade made new ones. Or, at least Tori assumed she did, because she didn't know because Jade didn't really answer her phone anymore and if Tori called, Jade's mom would sound sad and say that Jade couldn't come to the phone. So Tori stopped calling. She stopped trying, and soon she forgot about the girl who lived next door._

Tori picked up her bag and shoved her notebook inside as quickly as she could. As soon as the bell rang, Jade had practically jumped out of her seat and bolted for the door. So Tori ran out just after, trying to follow. She wasn't sure why. She didn't know if she was going to say something to Jade, ask her if she remembered her, ask her if Jade was even the _same_ Jade, because Tori couldn't imagine that she was. And anyway, she couldn't decide if it even mattered. It had been years since they'd talked, and even longer since they were actually close, curled up while flashlights danced across the blankets above them and Jade made up stories and songs. But, Tori thought as she pushed through the hallway, trying and failing to avoid bumping into anyone, it would be nice to talk to her. Catch up, maybe. She wasn't sure, and once she lost sight of Jade in the main hallway, Tori sighed and trudged off to her next class.

Andre and Cat were already sitting together when Tori walked into the class. It was a large room with high ceilings, lit entirely by the windows that ran along the circular wall. Chairs were set up in arching rows around a grand piano. Tori smiled as Andre lifted his chin at her. "Hey, Tor," he greeted. "Hey, Tori," Cat said with a wave. "Hey." Tori sat down next to Cat and looked around as the other chairs were filled. "You'll love this class, Tori," Cat said with a huge smile. "The teacher is really nice and we get to sing the whole time!"

Andre chuckled and Tori smiled. "I'm pretty nervous," Tori admitted.

"What? Why?" Andre asked in disbelief. "You killed it at the showcase and this is way easier than that." Cat nodded in agreement and they fell silent as the teacher cleared her throat and got their attention. The class started with some vocal warm ups that Tori had to try really hard not to laugh at. The room was filled with noise and Tori felt silly, sitting there making strange sounds, even though everyone else was doing it. She loosened up, though, once Cat nudged her in the side, a huge grin across the girl's face as her mouth erupted in sound. The teacher passed out a song that they were going to work on, and Tori gulped. She didn't know how to read sheet music. Andre asked her what was wrong and she told him. "It's cool, a lot of people can't when they first start. You want me to teach you?" Tori nodded her head enthusiastically. "You would be a lifesaver, Andre. Seriously." He just laughed and waved off her remark with a "No worries, girl."

As the teacher split the class into small groups, wanting to work with each group individually, Tori looked over the paper in her hand. Cat and Andre were already singing quietly, figuring out harmonies. Tori tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the lines and dots on the paper starting to swim in front of her. Literally the only thing she understood on the sheet was the lyrics. At least they were in English. Music was an entirely different language that she didn't even realize existed in its own form. There were notes (she knew what those were) and accents and little things that looked like sideways brackets, and some of the notes were dotted, and some had weird squiggly tails and her heart sped up at how foreign it all was. If someone struck a key on a piano, she could emulate the sound with her voice, but she had no idea where it would fall on the page in front of her. Speaking a language and being literate were two entirely different things. And Tori was musically illiterate.

"Hey," Cat nudged her again. "You didn't answer the question."

"What? Sorry," Tori closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I was just thinking and didn't hear what you said."

"Oh, I hate when that happens!" Cat gasped. "Like your brain goes all fuzzy and things around you just turn into a background hum." She threw her hand over her shoulder to demonstrate 'background' and Tori smiled.

Andre sat up a little straighter as the teacher approached their group. "Alright, Andre why don't you go first."

Tori had heard Andre sing before, so it wasn't really a surprise at how smooth and soft his voice was. Tori still felt her eyebrows rise at how impressive it was. What was a surprise, and what made her eyebrows disappear into her hairline entirely, was how good Cat was. Tori couldn't imagine that sort of voice, that sort of power, coming out of the small and bubbly girl next to her. Tori almost missed it when the teacher asked her to sing next, because she was still in shock as Cat switched from powerhouse vocalist right back to innocent and silly girl. Tori shook her head and sang, her eyes following the words on the page and her voice mimicking the melody Andre and Cat had just sang. The teacher nodded in approval. "I heard you at the showcase, Tori, but impressive all the same. Just make sure you pay close attention to the rests and accents, okay?" Tori nodded, relief flooding through her veins as the teacher moved on to the next group. She looked up when she heard Andre and Cat laughing next to her.

"You should see your face," Cat said, poking Tori's cheek with her finger.

"Like a deer in headlights, man," Andre added. Tori laughed along with them and told Andre that he better have been serious about his offer.

_When she was thirteen, Tori Vega had a boyfriend. Sort of. She thought he was her boyfriend, but they didn't really do anything. They took the same bus home from school, and sometimes they'd go to the movies, but it was usually with a group of people. There was one time, though, when they were at the park down the street from her house and he kissed her. It was her first kiss and nothing at all like she expected it. It was quick, he barely pressed his lips against hers, but she hardly even noticed when he did it. Because there was a swarm of fireflies at the edge of the trees and her fingers twitched and she wished she had a jar. That summer was horrible, because Trina had been accepted to a special high school and somehow that gave her the idea that she was, in fact, special. It was like living with a complete diva, and Trina kept striking poses and telling Tori that if she wanted to be something someday she had better start accentuating her assets. "It's all about the gams, Tor," Trina would say, shooting her foot out and gesturing to her leg like she was Vanna White._

"Trina!" Tori called out, running down the hallway. Trina spun around, eyes wide and excited. Her face fell, though, when she saw it was just her little sister. "Trina, hey," Tori huffed, slightly out of breath as she stopped running. "I was wondering if you could give some friends of mine a lift, too?"

Trina scoffed. "I am not your personal chauffeur, Tori. I have a life, too, ya know."

"No you don't," Tori said without thinking. She immediately bit her tongue and grabbed Trina's elbow as she turned to leave. "Sorry, Trina, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I was just wondering, because I need help with one of my classes, and my friend Andre offered after school, and then Cat said it sounded like fun and so she kind of invited herself along, too, but I don't mind because she's nice and-"

Trina shook her head and raised a hand, cutting off her sister's rant. "Whatever. As long as they understand that it's my car, so my rules, they can come."

"Right," Tori nodded vigorously. "Your rules. No singing louder or better than you-"

"Like they could," Trina interrupted, but Tori continued.

"No beverages that could stain the seats, and absolutely no mention of that one actress who _cannot_ be mentioned," Tori said quickly. Trina's left eye twitched at just the mention of the actress who couldn't be mentioned, but she gave a curt nod and spun on her heel, heading off down the hallway. "Thanks, Trin!" Tori yelled after her.

With a happy sigh and a slight bounce in her step, Tori went to her last class of the day. Although she did get a bit turned around in one hallway and ended up on the opposite side of school than where she was supposed to be. The teacher didn't mind, saying it was fine, since it was her first day and all, but not to make a habit of it. Tori swore she wouldn't and took an empty seat right at the front of the class as her teacher started talking about the Latino influence in modern culture, music specifically. She even played a few songs as examples, and Tori found her foot tapping along to the rhythm. They moved on to the Spanish language being prevalent in so many songs, since many singers and rappers grew up speaking the language. It wasn't something that Tori had ever noticed, not really. Sure, she'd sing along if something came on the radio, but she never thought about _why_ Spanish would randomly pop up in a song that was mostly being sung in English. The teacher said that their homework was to compile a list of popular songs where Spanish was the main language used, or at least frequent. One boy raised his hand and asked if he could just bring in a Pitbull cd and the teacher laughed along with the rest of the class. "Try and be diverse, okay?" She said with a smile. Tori grinned as everyone settled down. A class where her homework was to listen to music? It was awesome, way better than her assigned math problems, and the class was over much too quickly for Tori's liking.

She took her time sorting through her books at her locker. She felt relieved. She had made it through her first day, with little trouble. Of course she'd been late to a couple classes, and there was Beck's coffee, and of course the whole Jade _thing_, but overall she was pleased with how things had gone. Tori stuffed some books into her locker that she wouldn't need, shifted around some notebooks, almost dropped her bag entirely when some boy crept up behind her and sniffed her hair before quickly running off again. Tori shook her head and closed her locker, adjusting the strap over her shoulder. She turned and saw the crowded hallway thinning out as students left to catch the bus or their ride, and she saw Jade, carelessly throwing objects from her own bag into her locker. Tori looked at her for a moment, just watching, and somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, a decision was made. She walked over to where Jade was and cleared her throat. "Hey," she said with a small wave.

"What?" Jade snapped, not even turning away to look at her.

"Um, I just wanted to apologize about this morning. I wasn't, like, _hitting _on your boyfriend or anything."

Jade glanced at Tori and then rolled her eyes as she slammed her locker shut. She closed the flap on her messenger bag and turned away from Tori, heading for the doors. Tori followed after her. "I, um, I had a question, actually. See, I was wondering if you remembered me?"

Jade stopped abruptly and spun on her heel, leaving Tori reeling at the sudden action. "No, I don't remember you. Know why? Because I don't know you. And if you touch my boyfriend again, you won't _want_ to know _me_. Understand?" Jade didn't wait for an answer. Instead she spun back around and marched out of the doors. But Tori stood still. She didn't know what she was expecting to happen, but it certainly wasn't that. Because being that close to Jade, and seeing the flash in her eyes as she spoke, Tori was certain. That was the same Jade. Well, maybe not the same, obviously, since she was so different from the kid that Tori had known. But that was Jade West, grown up and so not the girl who would run to Tori's house to sleepover and escape her parents' fighting.

"Hey, Tori, ready to go?"

Tori looked around and saw Andre and Cat standing behind her. "What, no, I mean. Yes, Trina's probably in the car waiting already, so."

"Your sister's weird," Cat commented out of the blue as they walked outside. Tori and Andre both looked at her as her brows furrowed together. "I saw a one of her shows, where she played a lady with a mustache." Cat giggled. "It was funny."

Tori nodded as they crossed the parking lot. "Yeah, she kept forgetting to take it off when she switched characters." She caught Andre's confused eyes. "My sister is weird."

"Sounds like it," Andre said with a chuckle as they reached the car. Sure enough, Trina was already inside, hand tapping impatiently against the steering wheel.

_When she was fourteen, Tori Vega had a perpetual headache. Her parents made her go to every play or performance of Trina's, no matter how much Tori begged to stay home or faked illness. "You have to support your sister, she would do the same for you," they said. So Tori would roll her eyes and drag her feet and slouch in her seat through every one of Trina's one woman plays. Sometimes Trina was part of a showcase, and Tori actually enjoyed the other performances. But then Trina would take the stage and Tori just had to stare in wonder at her sister, wondering how she had ever been accepted to a school for people that were actually talented. Sure, Trina could act, sometimes, if the material was right, maybe, but more often than not, Trina just came off as looking insane. She could be funny though, even if it wasn't intentional. Tori remembered watching her one woman Scottish play and having tears in her eyes afterwards from laughing so hard. Trina didn't like that, but Tori asked if she could keep a copy for when she was feeling down and needed to be cheered up._

"How do you have such a nice piano and never learned to read music?" Andre asked in wonder, his fingers flying across the keys. He and Cat had been teaching Tori how to read music for almost an hour, and finally Tori's brain was so jammed full of new information she needed to take a break.

Tori shrugged and took a sip of her water. "I just… y'know, played and sang. Figured out what sounded cool. My parents never asked if I wanted lessons or anything."

Andre nodded his head and scooted over on the bench as Cat sat down. "I get that. I never write music out unless I have to. Like, for class or something." Cat started playing something on the lower register, smiling to herself at how deep the notes were. Andre, almost instinctively, started playing something higher up to accompany it. Cat grinned at him and added in another hand. Tori smiled as the two of them messed around, thinking that she hadn't done too shabby for a first day. She'd already made some new friends, which was something that Trina didn't seem able to accomplish after years at that school. As Andre and Cat's hands fell into a pattern, Tori started humming along absentmindedly. She ran her fingers over the top of the piano, leaning her forearm on it. Andre's head started bobbing and Cat's smile doubled in size. "Yay, we're writing a song!" She clapped and Andre immediately shifted his hands, moving one of them lower down the keys. Tori kept humming, and after a minute Cat started singing. No words, just ohs and ahs, and Tori joined in.

They all stopped when Trina stomped down the stairs and shushed them loudly, her phone still held to her ear. "Will you guys be quiet? I'm on a very important call here!" Tori held up her hands in surrender and suppressed a laugh at the look on Cat's face as Trina went back upstairs.

"Who's she talking to?" Cat asked in a loud whisper.

Tori took another sip of water. "Probably a psychic hotline. Trina calls all the time when she starts freaking out about stuff."

Andre let out a low whistle. "Don't they cost like three bucks a minute?"

"Yeah," Tori said with a grin. "She'll be on the line for hours sometimes. Mom and Dad get so mad and then Trina get stuck doing _all_ the chores for, like, a month."

"Must be nice for you," Andre chuckled.

Tori shrugged in a nonchalant manner. "Can't complain."

"Alright," Andre said, shuffling through some of the papers propped up on the piano, "break time's over." Tori groaned, but moved closer so she could better see what he was pointing at. "Let's talk about repeat signs."

Cat and Andre ended up staying for a couple more hours. They worked some more on teaching Tori about reading music, and then they all worked on their assignment for Sikowitz, and then they agreed to help her with her list of songs with Spanish in them, and that just sort of devolved into sitting around listening to music and talking. Which, Tori thought with a smile, she didn't mind at all. They were stretched out on the sofas in her living room, her laptop on the small table in front of them, some song or another coming from its tiny, but powerful speakers. Somehow the topic of Jade had come up when Andre started asking how her first day was overall.

"Jade's just," Cat paused, her eyes on the ceiling as she thought of the perfect word.

"Mean?" Andre offered. "Rude? Twisted?"

"Peculiar," Cat said, shooting Andre a disapproving look.

"No," Andre countered, "Robbie is peculiar. Sinjin, now he is _definitely_ peculiar. But Jade? Man, she's just evil."

"She's not that bad," Tori said. Cat and Andre both turned to look at her and she realized what she had said. "I mean, sure today may not have been the _best_ example, but, y'know, she can't be that bad, right?" Tori wasn't sure if she was trying to convince them or herself. Probably herself, she figured, since she couldn't fully believe that Jade could have possibly changed so much. After all, she was pretty much the same as she was when she was a kid. Well, no, maybe she wasn't, but she certainly hadn't altered as much as Jade seemed to.

"Yeah, tell that to your face when she finally punches it," Andre scoffed. Cat hit him in the arm and shook her head, mouthing 'Bad!' Tori sighed and leaned back against the sofa. Maybe it was a lost cause. It had been years, and Tori certainly shouldn't expect that Jade would just fall into being her friend again. Although, Tori thought as she leaned forward to switch the song, maybe it was some sort of serendipity that she had run into Jade after so long. But, if that was true, then why did Jade say that she didn't know Tori? That she didn't remember her? Was that true? Or was Jade just saying that because she knew that Tori remembered her, and she had no interest in catching up or rekindling what had been a childhood friendship? Tori groaned, closed her eyes and rubbed at her temple. One of her eyes cracked open though when she felt a hand, a hand that definitely wasn't her own, rubbing at her other temple. Cat was staring at her with a sympathetic frown.

"Sometimes, when my brother gets a headache, he makes me hit him in the leg with a baseball bat to feel better. Want me to do that to you?"

Tori's eyes grew wide. "No, Cat, but thank you."

"Kay kay," Cat said quietly. She didn't stop rubbing Tori's temple, though.

_When she was fifteen, Tori Vega had an actual boyfriend. They would go out, just the two of them, and they would kiss, and laugh, and generally had a fun time. They went out to a restaurant once, nothing fancy, and Tori absent mindedly played with her paper placemat as Danny talked about basketball or something, which Tori had no interest in. But she sort of listened and smiled and laughed at all the right times, unaware of what her hands were doing until Danny pointed it out. "You've got, like, a hundred things over there." Tori looked confused and then saw that he was pointing to where her placemat was. Or used to be, because she had torn off some little bits and some big bits, too and reduced them all to small paper planes. "Oh," she said, startled. "I-I didn't mean to." Danny grinned and picked one of them up. "Nice," he said with a laugh. "I used to make these things all the time as a kid." Tori's smile was strained, and she quickly crushed the planes into a wad of green paper. "Yeah. So did I."_

**A/N I'm an east coast kid all the way and have no idea if fireflies/lightning bugs are as common in Cali as they are over here during the summer, but we're going to pretend, k? Awesome.**

**So, I was thinking of going on with this, for at least one more long chapter, at least, since there was like, barely any Jori interaction. But I guess drop me a review and let me know if it's worth continuing? Or, y'know, if it's total crap. Tell me if it's crap and I shouldn't continue. Either way, the little button is right down there, so take a minute if you've got it and let me know.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine.**

_As a kid, Jade West didn't like a lot of things. She didn't like flowers, for the simple reason that whenever they showed up in a vase in her house, it meant that her parents had been fighting and the flowers were a sort of peace treaty offered up by her father. She figured that out pretty early on in her life. Whenever she saw people giving flowers to someone they 'loved', she would always scoff and roll her eyes. Flowers died. They wilted. Petals fell off. It was a horrible symbol of love. Jade would watch the ones in her home, counting down the days until her mother threw them out. Counting down the days of peace until it was shattered again by her mother's yelling or, worse, her father's cold, disconnected, and quiet voice. And then a new bouquet would materialize in their place and the clock reset. The first time Jade's mom had gotten flowers from a new boyfriend, about a year after the divorce, her dislike turned into hatred. Jade had been furious when she saw them and cut up every petal in the bouquet with the sharpest pair of scissors she could find. Her mom's new relationship didn't last much longer than the flowers did. But, Jade didn't mind all flowers. She didn't mind the ones that grew naturally in the park. Especially the morning after a heavy rain, when she would lie in the grass, the smell of damp Earth filling her senses while her best friend pointed to the sky and tried to find shapes in the clouds. No, Jade didn't mind those wildflowers at all. It was really only the ones grown by florists and kept in cold, glass cases where their light was artificial and their air was stale and they'd be harvested and sold off to people under the guise of romanticism. Yeah, those were the flowers that Jade hated._

Jade's right leg was crossed over her left knee, the toe of her boot kicking the seat in front of her as her foot swung. Her arms were crossed over her stomach and she was slouching, trying to keep her eyes off the stage. It was proving hard to do, because Sikowitz said that part of their grade for this little 'project' was based on their critique of the other scenes. And she wasn't going to jeopardize her own grade, but she certainly didn't want to watch Tori fucking Vega stumble through five minutes of clumsy dialogue and even worse fake crying. She huffed, kicking the chair in front of her harder than she meant to. Beck reached over and rested his hand on her knee, trying to still her leg, but Jade smirked when she saw Robbie, who was supposed to be dead, crack an eye open and glance in her direction. _There_ was a critique. The dead don't come back to life.

The scene ended and there was polite applause from the other students as Sikowitz strolled up to the stage. "Wonderful job. Cat, I _felt_ the pain when the love of your life slowly slipped away from you." That elicited a huge eyeroll from Jade. "Now," Sikowitz turned to face the rest of the class, "who has some _constructive_ criticism for our actors?" Jade's hand shot into the air and she heard Beck let out a small sigh next to her. She ignored him as Sikowitz nodded his head for her to speak.

"Shapiro broke character. He opened his eyes after he was already dead."

"Because you kicked a chair!" Robbie protested, sitting upright on the table that was supposed to be his hospital bed.

"Oh, really?" Jade leaned forward in her chair, holding his gaze with her own. "Are you sure it wasn't because you were a little too _excited_ about Cat touching you?" Jade smirked as Cat squeaked and yanked her hands away from Robbie's stomach, where they had been resting.

Sikowitz held up his hands to silence them. "Jade has a point, even if she did say it in a shrewish way." He turned to Robbie. "When you're in a scene, however short or unimportant it may seem, you never ever break character. The building could be falling down around you, but the show must go on. You must _live_ as your character lives, and if your character dies, Robbie, you must die with them."

"I wouldn't mind seeing that," Jade mumbled through a smirk, sitting back in her chair. Sikowitz ignored her comment and called on a few other students, who all said pretty much the same thing: the scene was really good, everyone was believable, blah blah blah. Jade sniffed and adjusted her legs, crossing the left over the right instead. Sikowitz dismissed the group on stage and called the next pair up. Jade turned her head, because staring at the small ink stain on Beck's backpack was preferable to accidentally making eye contact with Tori as she walked by. Fucking Tori Vega. Jade tossed her hair over her shoulder and tried to focus as the next scene started up. But she could feel eyes on her. It was a feeling she had grown, unfortunately, accustomed to the past couple of days. Whether it was in Sikowitz's class, or her screenwriting one, or just randomly in the hallways, Jade felt those brown eyes practically burning a hole in the side of her head. It was distracting and fucking weird. The only good thing was that after their encounter in the hallway on Tori's first day, the girl hadn't approached Jade again. It was a small victory, but she accepted it all the same. She felt the eyes leave her, and Jade breathed a little easier as she watched the rest of the scene playing out on stage. Beck was the first one to speak once it had finished. He said the dialogue was really good, but the motivations behind the scene seemed a little muddled. A relationship between the two players was never established, so he was left guessing about certain things. A few other people spoke up as well, and after a few minutes Sikowitz dismissed the pair. "Beck and the always effervescent Jade up next, please."

Jade trudged up the small set of steps, Beck instead just hopping right up onto the stage. Jade shot him a glare, silently telling him to stop showing off, as they took up their positions. "Whenever you're ready," Sikowitz announced with a slight bow. Jade closed her eyes, taking a moment to relax and get into character, and then she opened her them and gave Beck a small nod. He immediately launched into the scene, arms wild and flailing, verbally attacking her. Jade's entire body tensed as she took his abuse. It was just a scene, she knew that, but she'd be damned if Beck didn't make it feel real. Jade was partially aware of Cat's small gasp as she launched into a tirade of her own, matching Beck's volume and intensity. Jade pushed Beck's shoulders as she spit out her final line of the scene. Beck shoved her right back, and just like they had practiced, Jade stumbled back against the white board on the wall. Beck moved forward, intimidating for such a lean guy, and closed the space between them in two strides. He slammed his palms against the white board on either side of Jade's head, his face twisted and contorted in such anger that Jade barely recognized him. He practically growled out his next line, and then Jade's hand was fumbling along the metal rail along the bottom of the board as if searching for something. Her hand closed into a fist and she plunged it towards Beck's stomach, stopping just shy of actually punching him in the gut. Beck stumbled backwards, shock written all over his face and his hands dropping down to rest on his belly. He looked down, and then back up to Jade. She was shaking, and in the back of her mind she kept saying 'just a scene just a scene get through it', but the way her arms were vibrating was absolutely real. "You stabbed me," Beck gasped, his knees buckling as he collapsed to the ground. A strangled laugh, like he couldn't believe what had just happened, ripped through his throat. And then his body was slowly sinking to the ground.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting interpretation of the assignment," Sikowitz said as Beck got to his feet and Jade stepped away from the wall. "Before we take critiques, can I ask what inspired that scene?"

Jade folded her arms over stomach, shifting her weight so one of her hips cocked out to the side, and said, boredom dripping off her voice, "Domestic bliss." Sikowitz nodded slowly, almost confused, and started calling on students. Jade only half listened, not really caring what her peers thought. They didn't usually understand her performances, and from the tone in some of their voices, Jade thought they might have been even more scared of her than they were before. It wasn't until the owner of those brown eyes slowly raised her hand that Jade snapped to attention.

"I thought it was sad," Tori said slowly, seeming to mull over her words as she spoke. "I mean, obviously it's sad. But, deeper than just the surface of it, there's a sadness, y'know? Almost like it's expected that all love falls apart like that."

Jade didn't wait to hear any more. She jumped off the stage, barely pausing to grab her bag as she marched towards the door. "Jade, the bell hasn't rung yet," Sikowitz said. Jade spun on her heel to face him and lifted a finger to point at the ceiling. As soon as she did, a chime echoed through the room and she was off again, tearing open the door and storming out into the hallway.

_As a kid, Jade West developed a duality about her. There was a part of her, the main part, which was a pretty normal kid. She shared the same seat on the bus everyday with her best friend. She lucked out that seats were always assigned alphabetically by last name at school, because it meant that Tori always sat right in front of her. It made it easy to pass notes in class, or for Jade to lean forward and whisper to Tori. They sat in the same seats at the same table in the cafeteria every day. And she always played during recess, whether it was tag with the rest of her class, or just finding a quiet corner by the swing set with Tori. But there was another part, a quieter part that existed when she was home. It was the part that heard her parents fighting, sometimes about her, sometimes about Tori, and sometimes about things she didn't understand. Her mom always seemed to find ways to bring Jade into the arguments, usually talking about how their arguing was affecting their daughter, sending her running for shelter and comfort at someone else's home, with someone else's parents. Arguing about their arguing. It was dumb and Jade hated it. It grew into resentment towards the both of them. She almost would have preferred if they had forgotten she existed at all, rather than drag her into their shit as another topic of argument. Although, after the divorce, they pretty much did forget about her. And it was around that time that the parts of Jade switched roles. The resentful, hating one taking prominence over the other, which seemed to have faded altogether._

Jade couldn't concentrate. Her pencil was tapping against the edge of the table she was sitting at, her eyes staring at the chalkboard but not seeing anything. She knew what the teacher was talking about was important, that she should really be focusing, but she couldn't. Tori. Fucking. Vega. Jade's pencil snapped and she chucked the broken half in her hand onto the floor with its fallen counterpart. Andre was sitting next to her, and when he saw the look on her face, he scooted his chair even further away. They were barely even sharing the small table anymore, Jade and her things sprawled out in a passively aggressive manner, and Andre trying his best to keep out of the way of her wrath. Jade's attention was brought back to the present when Andre raised his hand and asked a question. The final project. The teacher was talking about the final project for the class, worth twenty percent of their total grade, and Jade hadn't taken in a single word of it. _Dammit,_ she thought, shoving a hand in her bag to look for another pencil. _I'm gonna fail this class and it'll be entirely Tori Vega's fault. _She quickly copied down everything on the board, paying particular attention to what the teacher was saying as she answered Andre. Jade huffed, her pencil scribbling furiously across the paper in her notebook. She felt Andre looking at her, and when Jade's eyes snapped up to his, he quickly looked away. She turned back to her notebook, her writing barely legible, and her hand shot in the air. "Yes, Jade?" the teacher asked. Jade stopped writing and looked up. "Do we have to sing it, or can we get someone else to?" The teacher sighed and leaned back against her desk. "I covered that already. You won't be graded based on how well you sing since this isn't a vocal class. Simply the lyrics, song structure and overall quality of the piece you present. Everyone must perform their own songs in front of the class," she emphasized. Jade nodded, the tip of her pencil digging into her paper as she made a note.

"You alright?" Andre whispered, leaning over.

"Fine," Jade snapped. He lifted his hands slightly and straightened up in his seat, deciding to leave her alone for the rest of class. Jade didn't even want to take a songwriting class. She liked singing, but it was an afterthought compared to her real interests, unlike Andre who seemed to live and breathe through writing and performing music. But for some stupid reason, this class was a prerequisite for the advanced screenwriting class she wanted to take next semester, so Jade just bit the bullet and suffered through it. The class seemed to drag on as the teacher answered more questions and gave them more information about the final project. Apparently, in addition to the live performance, they were required to turn in a recorded copy as well. "CDs are fine, but so are mp3s if that's easier," the teacher said as she wrote out an email address on the board. Jade copied it down, cursing this teacher. She didn't think any of her songs were good, and she was almost embarrassed at the fact that one of her creations would be immortalized in digital format. "If you need to use the school's audio lab, they have a sign-up sheet. If you need help with the equipment, I'm sure one of your fellow students would be more than glad to help you." Jade rolled her eyes and pressed her pencil so hard against the paper that the tip broke off. This project would be a fucking nightmare, and she couldn't stand how Andre was practically jumping for joy next to her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Right, well, obviously Andre would help her, whether he wanted to or not. This sort of thing was right up his alley, and in a completely different neighborhood from where Jade liked to be.

The bell rang and the teacher dismissed them all. Jade shoved her notebook back into her bag, dropping her pointless pencil in after it. She pushed her chair back and stood up, throwing the strap of her bag over her shoulder. She headed to her next class, math. Boring, and pretty damn annoying since Robbie always insisted on sitting next to her, his puppet propped up on the edge of his desk, those creepy, vacant eyes staring at Jade for the entire class. She didn't know how many times she would have to rip the thing's arms and legs off before Robbie finally got the message she didn't like him. But it seemed like no matter how much damage she inflicted on the puppet, Robbie would just bounce right back. She suspected he had some sort of masochistic crush on her. And if she kind of enjoyed watching his eyes go wide and his mouth drop open in shock as a limb was ripped off his tiny other half, then they both came out winners. In a twisted sort of way. After that was theater history, where she got to scowl at Sinjin every time he dared to turn around and look at her. It was like a really shitty game. Unless Sinjin actually looked scared. That could be kinda fun.

Jade finished her morning classes and headed for her locker. She chucked some books she wouldn't need into it, grabbed some for her afternoon classes, and then looked around the main hallway for Beck. As the hallway started clearing, most students heading out to the Asphalt Café for lunch, she had a suspicion that he had just gone straight outside with Andre. Jade scowled and crossed her arms. Going outside would most likely mean running into Tori, which is why she had spent the past few days with Beck during lunch. Monday she started a fight with him on purpose just so she could avoid the Vega girl. Tuesday she and Beck had stayed in the janitor's closet making up. Wednesday and Thursday Jade had made up an excuse about wanting to rehearse for Sikowitz's assignment and they had spent all of lunch in an empty classroom. It seemed like Beck had beaten her to the punch, though, on Friday and it was either completely segregate herself from the group, or join them and hope that Tori didn't say anything fucking stupid like she had during Sikowitz's class that morning. Dammit. Jade stomped her foot and headed down the hall, off towards the janitor's closet.

It had been years since she had last seen Tori Vega, and then the girl reemerged and managed to turn Jade's entire life upside down in the span of four days. It wasn't fair, and it gave Jade one more thing to add to the list of reasons why she resented her. Jade dropped onto the ground, aware of how graceless the action was as her bag thudded down next to her, but she couldn't bring herself to care. The janitor's closet was like her safe haven. A small place in this big school that she could always retreat to if she needed. So she bent her legs up, crossing her ankles and rested her chin on her knees as her arms wrapped around her legs. She probably should have used her free time to work on some of her assignments, or at the very least put some thought into her final project for her songwriting class, but Jade couldn't calm her mind down enough to focus on anything. Her brain was like a whirlwind of chaotic shit, most of which didn't make any sense. But mostly it was just thoughts about that fucking Vega chick, and then Jade's entire body went haywire, unfamiliar feelings pulsing through her veins. She didn't know why she told Tori she didn't remember her. No, that wasn't true. She knew why, she just had no way of describing it. Because she _knew_ Tori, and Jade knew that if she acknowledged her, then there would be questions and inquiries and requests to go for coffee or something, and Jade didn't want any part of it. So it was easier to just say No and mean it. Because Vega seemed to be exactly the same as she always was, friendly and smiling and too fucking nice for her own good, and Jade had just changed too much to ever be around that again. Well, that was on top of the laundry list of other reasons she didn't want Vega in her life. But Jade didn't want to think about that, and she was almost relieved as a blur of red velvet sped by in her peripheral.

"I knew I'd find you here," Cat said as she practically danced into the closet and pushed the door shut behind her. She plopped down on the floor, a pleasant smile plastered across her face. "Why have you been avoiding us?"

Jade rolled her eyes and adjusted her arms. "I haven't been avoiding anyone."

"Yeah you have," Cat countered, her smile never faltering. "That's why you're in here by yourself instead of outside with everyone else."

"Whatever, Cat," Jade grumbled into her knees and she turned her head away.

"Is it because of Tori? Do you not like her? Because she swears she wasn't trying to steal Beck away from you."

"Beck has nothing to do with it," Jade snapped, causing Cat to recoil. Cat was like a newly hatched bird. You had to walk on eggshells to deal with her, otherwise you just ended up with this fluffy little mess. Like a baby duck. "Beck and I are fine. He would never leave me for Vega, anyway."

"Then what's wrong?"

Jade suddenly wished she was alone again, but Cat seemed almost impervious to her venom. Even if she was affected by it, the girl recovered so fast that Jade half expected her to get whiplash. "Can't you just mind your own fucking business?"

"Jade," Cat gasped and leaned forward to swat at the other girl's foot. "Don't use that word."

"Sorry, kitten," Jade smirked, not sorry at all. Cat immediately perked up. It wasn't often that Jade was affectionate, but sometimes she couldn't help it, especially when it was just the two of them. Cat, in all her youthful innocence, sparked something inside of Jade. Something pleasant, and familiar, and Jade had this urge to protect her. From what, she had no idea, but she didn't like to dwell on the possible reasons. "I forgot about your precious ears."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cat asked in confusion, clamping her hands over her ears. Jade rolled her eyes and after a moment Cat seemed to forget about the comment. She leaned over and reached into her backpack. She pulled out a plastic container and held it out to Jade. "You want some salad? I was gonna eat outside, but then I figured it might be more fun with you since we haven't eaten together all week." Jade shook her head and Cat shrugged as she pried open the container and started digging into her salad with a plastic fork. They spent the rest of lunch in the closet, Cat telling Jade stories about a cute boy in one of her many vocal classes, speaking around mouthfuls of lettuce. Sometimes Jade couldn't stand being around Cat's overly enthusiastic personality, but it was a welcome distraction as all thoughts of Tori fucking Vega were temporarily banished from her mind.

When the warning bell rang, signaling that they had five minutes to get to their next class, Jade and Cat left their little solitude and joined the sluggish stream of students in the hallway, no one eager to go back to class. Jade followed the bobbing red hair in front of her all the way to science, where she sat next to Beck while Cat slid into the seat behind her. Beck leaned across his desk. "You okay? You weren't at lunch."

Jade merely pointed to the bouncing girl behind her. "I was catnapped." A giggle erupted from Cat, who echoed 'catnapped', and Beck smiled at her.

"Alright. It's just that you've been acting weird all week. You haven't even been drinking coffee." His brows knitted together in worry, but Jade was saved from having to answer by the bell sounding again as their teacher called for quiet.

_As a kid, Jade West kind of really liked ducks. The way that they just floated in the water without a care in the world. Occasionally dipping their heads under the water and bobbing back up, shaking their wings and bodies to get rid of any excess water. Her dad would take her to a really nice park on the other side of town every Sunday. They'd stop at a bakery on the way, usually getting bagels or muffins or something, and they always got a couple of rolls that they'd break up into tiny pieces once they got to the park and sat next to the pond tucked away behind some trees. They'd sit in the grass, near the edge of the water and eat their breakfast and throw pieces of bread for the ducks. He told her once that she swam like a duck, which always seemed silly to her, but she took it as a compliment. Of course, that stopped as Jade got older. At first, it was only one Sunday that they didn't go, and then it was a couple in a row, and before she knew it, Jade had stopped asking because he would never take her. When she was ten, though, he did. She didn't even have to ask. It was out of the blue one Sunday morning, a couple weeks before Halloween. They didn't stop at a bakery on the way, but her dad did bring some bread from home. Jade didn't mind though, she was just excited to be going. Her parents had kind of stopped fighting. Instead, their conversations were hushed and quiet and it was almost worse, in a way, because Jade had no idea what was going on. She assumed that they were getting along again, since the yelling had stopped, but she could tell that something wasn't quite right. But her dad had brought her back to that huge park, and they sat underneath the same tree that they always had, and Jade was happy. For a bit, at least, until her dad told her the reason that he and her mom weren't fighting anymore. And then they just sat in silence, Jade viciously ripping slices of bread into tiny pieces and crumbs and flinging them out across the water, her dad watching as the ducks swam and bobbed for the food. And all Jade could think was how much she hated ducks. How they just swam in the water without a care in the world. Ruffling their feathers and making noise just for the sake of it. Yeah, she really hated ducks._

Jade's favorite classes were the last three classes she had during the day. Screenwriting, cinema studies, and then film production. Or, they used to be her favorite three, until a few days ago. Jade's science class was on the opposite side of school from her screenwriting class, so she always walked in just before the bell rang. When she walked in on Friday, she stopped abruptly in the doorway. For some reason, people were sitting in different seats than usual. She caught one boy's eyes, and her confused face must have looked pretty damn similar to her angry face because he immediately dropped his gaze to his notebook and pretended like he hadn't seen her. Jade blinked slowly, her eyes scanning the rows of desks, looking for an empty seat that wasn't anywhere near the damn windows or the bright eyed girl sitting next to them. "Jade, take a seat," the teacher said as the bell rang. Her jaw clenched and Jade full-on stomped down the aisle to the only empty desk in the entire fucking room. She sat down, purposefully keeping her eyes locked on the front of the classroom. It was harder to ignore Tori's burning gaze when the girl was sitting right next to her, but Jade definitely tried. She couldn't stop her eyes from flickering to the right, though, when she knew Tori had taken a break from staring at her. But then Tori's gaze would waver, her eyebrows twitching in confusion, and Jade's eyes snapped back to the teacher. It took every ounce of willpower that she had not to spin in her seat and snap at Vega.

By some miracle, Jade made it through the entire class, and actually managed to jot down some notes. They were disjointed and half-formed thoughts, but it was better than nothing. Jade shoved her notebook into her bag and, just like every other day that week, bolted from the classroom. She had a feeling that a certain brunette might have been following her, but she got to her next class without being intercepted and breathed a sigh of relief. Her jaw ached, though, the muscles having held it clamped shut for so long.

She flipped open her bag and shoved her arm in, digging around until her fingers found a few stray papers. She pulled them out and laid them down on the teacher's desk. Another student came in and dropped his report on the edge of the desk, giving Jade a wide berth as he walked by. Jade frowned at her own report. The pages were ridiculously wrinkled from being shoved carelessly into her bag. She tried to smooth them out as best she could, her hands moving across the paper as she watched a few more students come in and drop off their assignments. Jade glanced down at her hands and almost jumped in surprise. She quickly unfolded the creases her hands had instinctively made, and rattled the entire desk as she slammed the teacher's stapler down on the corner of the papers. She tossed the report onto the pile and went to her desk. Tori Fucking Vega. Jade had almost folded the top page of her report into a god damned paper plane.

"Okay," the teacher said as he walked into class and glanced at the stack of reports on his desk, "we'll briefly review the Hays Code and censorship, and then move right along to the effects of it in classic comedies. There's a lot to cover, so let's get started." Jade was frustrated. For several reasons, obviously, but most prominent was how much shit she had forgotten to include in her paper. She cringed every time her teacher brought up a point that she knew she hadn't mentioned in her report. She had gone into enough detail about the aspects she did cover that she hoped her grade wouldn't suffer too much because of it, but she was still pissed off at her own stupidity. She'd been on edge all week long and it was starting to show. She needed to get a fucking grip already, because she couldn't continue with half of her mind always stuck in the past. It was just hard when her past was there, staring her in the face all day long.

Jade struggled through the rest of that class, and then through her film production one. And the fact that she had to struggle at all through classes that usually kept her rapt attention infuriated her. One more item to add to the rapidly growing list of resentments. She knew it probably wasn't fair of her to be keeping a mental tally against Vega, but she couldn't help it. It was how she functioned. You keep tabs on people, accounts of your interactions with them, and you judge them accordingly. Because if you don't, you can get turned around and caught up in emotions and that never ended well. Her parents were proof of that. It's why she didn't really try and have any sort of relationship with either of them. It's why she wasn't bothered by her lack of one. She had scorecards that she'd been keeping on them for her entire life and those scores added up to her current situation. It wasn't a surprise. She knew where she stood with them and she liked it that way. It's not like Tori was special, Jade thought with a scoff. She did it with everyone. That's why she kept ripping body parts off of Robbie's puppet. His score was always in the negative because Rex counted as almost a hundred checks in the negative column. It's why she was dating Beck. He tallied up well. Cat and Andre fluctuated, depending on Jade's mood, but they usually came out okay. But Vega? Jade shoved some books into her locker as she thought about it. Fucking Vega crisscrossed all sorts of columns and problems and lists that dated back, like, a decade. Jade's mind had an entire section dedicated to cross-referencing the girl. She couldn't be added up the way everyone else could. It made her dangerous.

"Hey, babe."

Jade glanced over as Beck sidled up next to her, casually leaning on the wall next to her. "Hey," she answered, staring at her locker in confusion. Half the shit she needed to bring home for the weekend was sitting inside it, and with a quick glance in her bag, she saw a couple books that she barely ever touched, even in class, including her screenwriting text. She shook her head and started actually paying attention to what her hands were doing.

"So Cat was kind of hinting about maybe hitting up Karaoke Dokie tonight. You game?"

"I didn't think Cat knew how to hint at things since that involves subtlety," Jade said, finally satisfied with the contents of her bag. She pushed her locker door shut.

Beck chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back. "Well when I say hint, I mean she demanded we go." Jade shrugged and stepped away from her locker, Beck following as she headed outside. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Jade said sharply. She was really getting sick of people asking her that fucking question.

"Okay. So… karaoke tonight then?"

"Fine," Jade said as they came to a stop in the parking lot. "Karaoke. Yay."

Beck frowned and leaned down, lightly kissing her cheek. "Alright, I'll see you there at seven."

"Can't wait." Jade forced a smile, which ended up as more of a grimace, and Beck nodded before walking away. She started crossing the parking lot, digging her hand into her bag to fish out her keys. As she walked up to her car, she lifted her eyes and caught not one, but two fucking Vegas heading in her direction. Jade felt like she had just robbed a bank, with how quickly she got into her car, started it, and sped out of the parking space.

Jade pulled into the parking lot at Karaoke Dokie at 7:01 exactly. She glanced at Beck in her passenger seat and frowned. She had texted him later on, sort of apologizing about the way she had been acting. Well, it wasn't so much an apology as it was a demand that he be ready because she was picking him up. But she knew that he would take it how she meant. The car ride from his house had been quiet though. Neither of them really talked and Jade had resorted to turning the volume on the radio up to try and drown out the awkward silence. It kind of just made it more awkward though. She unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed Beck's arm before he had a chance to open his door. She reached up and grabbed his face, a bit rougher than she had intended, and kissed him hard. It was strained, like two people just going through the motions. Like they were doing a scene in a play. It had never been like that before, and Jade found herself leaning further into him, trying almost desperately to force some sort of emotion. She had been all edges all week. Sharp and barbed. She couldn't blame Beck for reacting to that. His hand wrapped around her upper arm and he gently pushed her as he pulled away. "C'mon, everyone's probably waiting." It didn't even register with Jade what he meant by 'everyone' until they were already inside and she saw Cat waving from a table. With Andre, Robbie, Rex, and Fucking Vega. Jade's feet stuttered across the floor but she quickly regained her composure. Get your shit together, West. She knew she'd have to deal with the whole group at some point, and since Tori seemed to have merged into the group that meant Jade would have to deal with her eventually. No time like the present, she supposed, as she sat down next to Cat. She was aware of Beck greeting Tori and the girl's friendly response. Jade took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her stomach as she slouched in her chair. She had just willingly thrown herself into the deep end, but at least she could swim like a fucking duck. Although that probably only meant she wouldn't drown. There might be a lot of flailing and gasping for air, though. Rippling of feathers to shake off the excess water if she managed to surface. "Man, I hate ducks," Jade murmured as a shudder ran through her body.

"What was that, Jade?" Robbie asked.

"I said if your puppet doesn't stop staring at me I'm gonna shove his foot down your throat," she snapped, watching as Robbie's eyes went wide.

"Right," Andre laughed nervously before quickly changing the subject. "So who wants to go see if there's any new songs this week?" Robbie was out of his seat and nodding vigorously before Andre had even finished asking. Cat glanced from Jade to Beck to Tori and back. Jade gave a small shake of her head, and shouted after her as Cat squeaked and ran off to follow Andre and Robbie. Jade slouched so low in her seat that her head was barely above the table. She had just gotten there and was already sinking.

"So how's your first week been? You want to leave yet?" Beck asked with a smile, shifting in his seat a little.

Jade tried to ignore the enthusiasm in Tori's voice when she answered. "It's been really good, actually. I mean, some of the classes are pretty hard, and Sikowitz is a strange little man, but I'm really enjoying it so far."

Beck chuckled and leaned his elbows on the table. "Yeah. It takes some adjusting, but it's not so bad once you get used to it."

Tori nodded. "Yeah, and you guys have all been great. Andre, especially, with all his help." Jade rolled her eyes and was grateful when the others returned to the table. They said that there weren't any new songs, but they signed up for some classics anyway. It was easier to ignore Tori's presence once the karaoke actually started up. Everyone was too focused on the performances to say much other than compliments about whoever was singing at the time. Andre went up and got massive applause, as did Cat. Robbie had a smattering of confused clapping after Rex performed a weird rap song. A few other people sang, as well, and Jade went right back to sinking in her seat when her friends started trying to convince Vega to perform. For some reason Tori's cheeks erupted in a blush so bright it rivaled Cat's hair. Not that Jade was looking, of course, it was just hard to ignore the sudden neon colored glow coming from across the table.

"Guys, I really don't think-"

"You have to, Tor!"

"Yeah! If Rex can do it, so can you!"

"It's not as bad as you think it is."

"It's actually really fun."

Everyone was talking at once, trying to encourage Tori, and no one heard Jade's grumbled comment about needing a waz. It wasn't until Jade pushed her chair back and stood up that anyone noticed her, and even then it was the one person Jade really hoped wouldn't. She shouldn't be so familiar with what it feels like to have someone staring at the back of her head, but she was. She wound between tables as she made her way across the room and let out a strange growl as she pushed open the door to the restroom. A woman standing at the sinks ran out of the bathroom when Jade shot her a scowl. She walked to the sink and turned off the tap. "Fuck." She closed her eyes, her hands gripping the edge of the counter tightly. She opened her eyes and looked at her reflection and then really wished that she hadn't. She looked like shit. Shit that had been left in the sun, then put in a bag and stuffed in a freezer, and then taken out to thaw before being microwaved. There were bags under her eyes, and Jade couldn't remember ever having those before. But more than that she just looked… worn down. She poked at her cheek experimentally. There was barely any color in her face. She turned the tap on and washed her hands, splashing just a bit of water on her face. It didn't help to make her feel better, and now what little make-up she had been wearing was ruined. "Fuck!" She repeated, slamming her hand down on the counter. She couldn't do it. She couldn't voluntarily sit out there. She couldn't sit with Fucking Vega and still keep the thoughts and memories that were banging against her conscious mind at bay. Jade walked over to the paper towel dispenser and waved her hand in front of the sensor. She would go home and just be a hermit. She'd go to school, and then go home, and she wouldn't have any sort of social life at all. Jade crushed the paper towel and tossed it into the trashcan before taking a deep breath. She would go home and get her shit together. Yeah, that sounded like a much better plan. She would figure out a way to consolidate all of Fucking Vega's cross-references and she would narrow it down, stick a label on it, give it a score, and move the fuck on. She yanked open the door and strode purposefully back to the table. "I don't feel well." Beck looked startled and started to stand up. Jade pushed him back into his chair as she grabbed her purse. "I'll see you guys on Monday." She heard Beck call her name as she walked away, but she didn't turn around. She could feel those fucking eyes again and it spurred her feet forward. She was halfway through the parking lot, keys in hand, when she heard her name being called again. She picked up her pace, and if she was going any faster it would have been called running.

"Jade, wait! Please!"

She kept walking, almost to her car. Just a few more yards and she would be safe. She heard the footsteps behind her getting louder, and then they were beating out a frantic cadence against the asphalt. Tori reached the car as soon as Jade did, only Tori was a second faster. She shoved her body between Jade and the driver's side door. "Jade, please."

"Move." Her voice was soft. Dangerously so, and anyone who knew Jade even just a little bit would know to fucking move.

There was a moment of hesitation before Tori said no. Jade's fist clenched around her keychain. "Move!" She demanded again.

"Not until you talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

Jade's eyes flickered to hers and Jade knew right away that it was a mistake. Because Tori's eyes were filled with concern and hurt and Jade only saw the ten year old version of Tori standing in front of her. Jade wanted to hit her. She wanted to hug her. She wanted to scream and she wanted to cry and she wanted to be away from those fucking eyes so she could figure it all out. "Just tell me what's going on. Why are you being like this?" Tori's voice was pleading, and the ten year old shrank down to a seven year old and Jade saw flashlights dancing across a blanket ceiling. That image morphed into her dinner table, her parents sat at opposite sides with nothing but silence and space stretching endlessly between them all. Jade moved so suddenly that Tori actually flinched, but by the time she realized that Jade wasn't going to hit her, Jade had already moved to the other side of the car. She ripped open the passenger side door and climbed in, slamming it shut behind her. Tori turned and watched as Jade slid across the bench seat and shoved the keys in the ignition. There was a moment, Jade was almost positive, where it seemed like Tori might actually throw herself onto the hood of the car to stop Jade from leaving. It was tense, but as Jade threw the car into reverse and eased her foot down on the gas, Tori just took a step back, her shoulders falling in a half-hearted shrug of defeat.

_As a kid, Jade West had this thing about rainbows. She liked them, sort of, but she didn't really like them. She liked them because her best friend would always clap her hands excitedly and point to the sky, but she didn't actually like them herself. She just liked the way Tori's eyes would light up as she tugged on Jade's sleeve to see if she had seen it, too. And Jade would nod and answer that yeah, she'd seen it, but she didn't get what the big deal was. They were hardly more than faint red streaks through the sky, and science had kind of ruined the magic and mystery of rainbows for her anyway. There wasn't usually a big fluffy cloud on one end, and there certainly was never a pot of gold waiting at the end of it. Just sunlight bending through moisture in the air. But if she ever tried to say that, Tori would just shush her, sometimes with a playful punch on the arm, and tell her that she was ruining it. No matter what Jade said, though, Tori's smile was always a mile wide. It was like even though Tori knew exactly why rainbows happened, she still believed there was something magical and beautiful about them. Jade never really knew how much she liked that sort of optimism until she wasn't surrounded by it anymore, and then it was too late for her to change the way she saw things. She couldn't see the magic the way Tori always had._

Jade was surprisingly confident on Monday morning. Her body had its usual strut as she strode into Sikowitz's class. Her head was held high and her eyes lit up with their typical gleam. She felt… good almost. Well, maybe not _good_, but normal. And after the hellish week she had just went through, normal was good. She sat down next to Beck, a coffee cup clutched in her right hand as she eased her bag onto the floor by her feet. Concern tugged at the corner of Beck's mouth as he looked at her. She met his gaze and gave a small, sort of apologetic shrug. Jade took a sip of her coffee as Cat and Robbie took seats in front of her and Beck. Cat turned in her seat and gave Jade a nervous glance. "Are you feeling better?"

"Just peachy." Cat seemed to miss the sarcasm in Jade's voice and turned back around with a satisfied smile. Jade rolled her eyes as Sikowitz barged in through the door next to the stage, panting and wild-eyed. He wiped a hand nervously across his forehead and turned to face the class. "If anyone asks, I've been here the whole time!" Jade turned curious eyes to Beck who just shrugged. Andre stifled a laugh in front of them and Jade merely glanced at Vega as she took a seat across the aisle from Cat. Their eyes connected and Jade lazily looked away. Vega had been tallied, marked, and labeled. Jade could deal. She took another sip of coffee as Sikowitz started rambling on about some new scene he wanted them all to perform. "You gonna handle the script?" Beck whispered. Jade scoffed in reply and Beck frowned. "Right. Of course you are." He was relieved that Jade had somewhat returned to normal. At the very least, she seemed less aggravated and on edge than she had been for the past week, but something still seemed off. "So just separate yourselves into pairs and get cracking. But remember, this is a relationship falling apart, so I want some drama," he seemed to direct that statement towards Robbie and Cat, who had shifted their chairs closer together. "And preferably no one kills their partner this time." The corner of Jade's mouth pulled up in a smirk as Beck chuckled lightly next to her.

Andre seemed relieved, as well, that Jade was back to normal. He wasn't forced to hang off the edge of their table in Songwriting and Structure, and Jade certainly didn't look like she was going to jump down his throat if he so much as looked at her. He still jumped, though, when she grabbed his elbow after class. "What? I didn't do anything!" Jade looked at him strangely and held her hands up. "Dude. Chill. I just had a question." Andre seemed to relax and leaned against the doorway, nodding at her to continue. "Have you written anything for the final project yet?" Andre grinned with pride. "Yeah, I've written like three songs already. One of 'em-"

Jade raised a hand to silence him. "I so don't care."

"But you asked."

"Well I lied. I was just wondering," Jade paused, her eyes darting nervously to the hallway outside as a group of people walked by. Once they were gone she continued. "I mean, your songs, they're way to peppy and sometimes they're so sweet that even Cat can't stand them," Andre frowned, wondering where Jade was going with this, because she was speaking fast and her face was contorted like it almost physically hurt to say what she was about to say, "but, you know, they're _good_ and all."

Andre blinked as Jade just stared at him. "I think I missed your point, Jade."

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "How do you write them?" She asked slowly like he was too stupid to understand her.

"I just do," he shrugged, earning a grumbled 'helpful' from Jade. "Look, you just think of something, take what's inside you and write it out. If you're honest it'll show."

"Honest?" Jade almost looked scared of the idea.

"Yeah, you know, when you tell the truth?" Andre suggested with a grin. "Everyone's got emotions and if you're honest about 'em people will connect with what you're saying."

Jade pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, something that Andre hadn't ever seen her do before. She gave a small nod and walked away, leaving Andre confused in the doorway. "You're welcome?" He called after her. She just raised a hand in response.

By the time lunch rolled around, Jade was starving. It hadn't occurred to her just how little she had eaten over the past week, but as she tore into a massive bean burrito, everything inside of her screamed out in joy. "You're acting like it's about to run off your plate," Beck said with a smile as he dropped onto the bench next to her. She just shrugged and took another giant bite. Slowly other people joined the table. First Cat, who plopped down on Jade's other side so close that Jade kept bumping her with her elbow every time she moved. Then Andre and Robbie. "Where's the puppet?" Jade asked, casting a nervous glance under the table. She wouldn't put it past the creepy thing to be trying to stare up her skirt. "_Rex_," Robbie emphasized, "is in time out. He got me a detention during science."

"Tragedy," Jade mumbled, dropping her crumpled napkin on her now-empty plate.

"You guys!" Tori dropped onto the bench between Cat and Robbie, her face the spitting image of concern. "You'll never believe what just happened."

Something short circuited in Jade's brain. A synapse misfired, or a path got blocked, or a current somewhere jumped the tracks and ran haywire. But whatever the reason, her mind-to-mouth filter disappeared and she couldn't stop the words that tumbled from her in a strange voice. "_Oh, I just got the most terrible news that y'all just won't believe!_"

Tori turned confused eyes to Jade. "What? I don't talk like that." She glanced at the others for confirmation and then plowed on. "Whatever. Anyway, the police came and took Sikowitz away for questioning!" Apparently the lack of response from everyone was so not what Tori had been expecting, because she made a wild gesture with her hands. "Sikowitz? The police?"

"Yeah, that happens a lot." Cat said.

"_All_ the time," Andre added. There were a few more comments of assent and Tori wilted in her seat, looking like a little kid. Jade had to look away, squinting as the sun shone in her eyes. "He never really gets in trouble," Andre continued. "He just gets into these crazy situations and sometimes things go a little… wrong."

"Like the cupcake float," Robbie said.

Cat gasped. "Or when Jade broke his neighbor's car window."

"Or the illegal coconut smuggling operation," Beck added, getting a round of nodding heads in response.

Tori just sat there, stunned and staring at everyone. "How do those things happen?"

"Sikowitz is weird," Jade said simply, picking up her coffee cup.

"You get used to it," Cat added. Tori looked a little confused for the rest of lunch though, and Jade tried to ignore the way the brunette kept glancing at her.

_As a kid, Jade West liked solitude. She liked her bedroom door because it was thick enough to block out the worst of the noise coming from her parents. And then if she put some music on, she could tune it out completely. She liked her yard because there was a huge tree with a trunk thick enough to lean against comfortably and its branches and leaves gave great shade during the day. Sure, her best friend's yard had a pool, and a really nice patio, but Jade's had grass. Grass tall enough that every day at dusk, it glowed as fireflies rose up from it, skimming the tips of the blades for a bit before rising into the sky. There was one week one summer where the Vegas went away on vacation. Jade spent every night in a small tent in her yard. She barely slept, and it had nothing to do with the hum of insects or the chirping of crickets or the random tiny lights floating by outside. One night she heard glass shattering inside her house and she didn't sleep at all. But then the Vegas had come home, and Tori told Jade all about Florida, and how awesome it was, and when Jade said that she had spent the whole week camped out in her own backyard, Tori's eyes lit up even brighter than when she told the story about swimming with a dolphin. They camped out in Tori's yard that night, sitting in the small patch of grass near the fence that separated their homes. Jade demanded that Tori tell her about every single detail of her vacation, especially how Trina had accidentally fallen asleep with sunglasses on by the hotel pool and ended up with a ridiculous tan. They couldn't see many stars, but they tried to remember the names of the constellations they could see. Jade saw her first shooting star that night, almost not believing her eyes as the light streaked across the dark sky and disappeared. "You need to make a wish," Tori said excitedly, her hands holding onto Jade's arms, her face turned upwards in hope of seeing one herself. Jade looked down at Tori's hands on her skin, closed her eyes and made a wish. Of course it didn't come true, and Jade never wished on anything again._

**A/N I find it easier to write Tori than Jade, so I'm sorry if this whole chapter is horrible and really OOC or anything like that. I'm still finding my footing with these girls, and hopefully it'll improve as the story goes on. I've got an outline and a very solid idea for what I want to happen, so updates will be pretty regular things, as long as you all want them.**

**I just wanted to thank you guys for the reviews and alerts and things. It's really cool that you're enjoying this so far. Leave a review if the fancy strikes and I'll see ya on the flip side.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, this is attempt number three at uploading this chapter. I have no idea what went wrong with attempts one and two, but here we are. If you can read this, awesome, if you can't, then it doesn't matter anyway, so boobies.**

**Disclaimer: With the exception of some songs I bought off iTunes, I own nothing even remotely related to this show.**

_One time, when they were bored, Tori and Jade made up a game. It was something stupid. Tori had insisted on having a princess in it while Jade wanted monsters. They had compromised, playing monster-hunting princesses. Trina was cast as the monster, even though she didn't know it. It had been an ongoing thing they did. They would creep from Tori's room, with their arms filled with balled up socks, and slip down the hallway to Trina's room. And then, on the count of three, Jade would shove the door open and Tori would start pelting her sister with the ammo, Jade following suit right after. Sometimes they ambushed Trina in the bathroom, patiently waiting in the tub with the curtain drawn until Tori's sister walked in. A few times they got Trina on the sofa in the living room, crouched behind a wall at the top of the stairs. Every time, Trina would scream things like "Why are guys you so weird?" and Tori and Jade would yell out vicious war cries, and then Trina would chase them. Up the stairs, down the hall, outside if she could, it didn't matter. But once they were safe, Tori and Jade would always collapse in fits of laughter. It was stupid, and Tori would get scolded by her parents, but she didn't care. Because it was her favorite game._

Tori wasn't even aware that she had been singing or dancing until a hand roughly tugged on the cord of her earbuds, causing her head to jerk forward. "Hey, Vega," Jade sneered, her hand roughly shoving the cord against Tori's chest, "the hallway isn't your personal stage. Some of us would rather not hear your shrieking so early in the morning." Tori didn't even have a chance to respond, because Jade spun on her heel and stalked off down the hallway. She turned and caught Andre and Cat looking at her, huge smiles on both of their faces. She responded with a smile of her own as they started walking towards her. She was in a stupidly good mood. Her classes were going great, she and Andre had nailed down their scene for Sikowitz, Jade was talking to her. Or, at least Jade was acknowledging her existence, which she figured had to be better than the alternative, right?

"So what's puttin' that shake in your hips, Tori?" Andre laughed as he and Cat stepped up beside her.

"Is it a boy?" Cat asked with a smirk, poking a finger into Tori's side.

Tori laughed as she pulled the earbuds out of her PearPhone and shoved them in her locker. "No, it's not a _boy_, Cat. Can't a girl be happy without a boy being the cause of it?" Andre and Cat looked at each other, seeming to come to the mutual decision that it was, in fact, a boy. Tori rolled her eyes as she closed her locker. "I'm just in a good mood." They both responded with disbelieving uh-huhs and the three of them headed off to class.

The entire class was spent doing final rehearsals for their scenes for Sikowitz. Everyone was separated into pairs, and Tori and Andre were tucked away by the steps of the stage, figuring out blocking for their scene. They were both happy with the dialogue they had written and felt confident in their ability to perform the scene. So they spent the class shuffling around each other and glancing from the stage to the chairs scattered through the room, figuring out how best to stage their argument. They had decided that Tori would accuse Andre of cheating on her, and Andre had suggested that she slap him at some point, to show off a bit of their stage fighting skills. The first time she tried, she actually caught his cheek, but he was good natured about it, like he was with most things, and she got it perfect on the second try. Andre clapped his hands together, a grin firmly in place as he looked around the room. "I think we're as ready as we're gonna be."

"We seem to be better off than some other people," Tori commented, her eyes falling on Robbie and Cat. Cat was chattering away animatedly, her hands seeming to tell most of the story, while Robbie just stared at her with a silly grin slapped on his face and Rex looking firmly in a different direction. A few other pairs were bent over their scripts, or practicing their scenes, but it was Jade and Beck who caught Tori's eye. They were sitting across from each other, each staring down at their own laps, and their lips barely moving. Tori frowned, but turned back to Andre when he said something. "Huh?"

"I asked if you wanted to run through it again? The bell's about to ring, but we've got time."

"Oh. Yeah. Sure." Tori nodded and followed him off into the corner.

She was surprised at how quickly the rest of the day seemed to pass. Her mind was so focused on her scene with Andre that she found herself mumbling her lines under her breath for most of the morning. She was really excited. She felt much more prepared for this scene than she had for the last one, or any of the small challenges and scenes Sikowitz would throw at them during class. Andre would pass her in the halls, giving her an encouraging wink or high five, letting her know how much confidence he had in her. Tori would always break into a grin, glad that she had him to help ease her transition into the new school. Lunch rolled around and once again Tori found herself at the same table with the same group of friends as every other day. The only difference was that Jade had been joining them all week. It was okay, though, because everyone was joking around and having a good time. Until Rex made a rude comment about Cat and Jade ripped his foot off. Then the table erupted in noise and no one saw Tori frown at Jade, or the nonchalant shrug Jade gave her in return.

Tori still wasn't sure what to do about Jade. She tried not to think about it too much, but sometimes she couldn't stop her mind from wandering, especially when Jade would scowl at her for no reason, or do that horrible imitation of Tori's voice that didn't sound anything at all like how she talked. Tori thought that at least it was progress, a small step that Jade wasn't actively avoiding her anymore, but she still seemed to be an entire staircase away from being her friend. Tori had no idea what to do about the situation, either. It's not like she could ask Andre or Cat or even Beck for advice. How would that go? "Oh, hey, so Jade and I were best friends, practically sisters, when we were kids. How can I get her to like me again after so long?" Yeah, she mentally scoffed, that wouldn't be weird at all. Tori suspected that whatever was going on with Jade, whatever reason she had for pretending like she didn't know Tori, was something that Jade would have to deal with on her own. Sure, Tori had questions, about a million of them, but she knew that Jade would never talk to her about it. Not until she'd gotten past whatever walls she had put up within herself. But Tori prided herself on her patience. She did live with Trina, after all, so she had it in abundance. She could wait it out. Jade West had to crack eventually. And Tori saw the first fissure that day in her screenwriting class.

She was in what had become her usual seat by the window, Jade sitting on the opposite side of class, as far from Tori as she could get without being in the next room. Their teacher had rambled on about the contrasts in the structures of scripts meant for various genres. He explained how comedies were usually shorter than dramas, and how action movies had more, well, action and less dialogue. It wasn't boring, but Tori was having a hard time focusing, and her pen had taken on a life of its own, doodling little pictures in the margin of her notebook instead of actually writing down anything from the lesson. "So you'll be paired up for this assignment-" Tori's head snapped up. Wait, what? What assignment? Huh? Students had started shuffling in their seats, looking around the room to try and catch the eyes of a friend or someone they wanted to work with. "Nope!" The teacher called, immediately stopping any action. "Since this paper is about the differences in format, I'm assigning pairs in a different format." A murmur of confusion rose from the class as he dug around on his desk for a sheet of paper. "Shawn Adams, you're with Devon Anderson and you're doing action and science fiction. There's some crossover with those genres, so make sure to point out similarities, as well." Tori didn't groan along with the rest of the class when they realized their partners were going to be alphabetical, but her heart did stutter and then start beating faster. Her head turned and her eyes fell on Jade. Her back was rigid and she looked like she wanted to murder their teacher. Tori blinked slowly, trying to swallow the lump in her throat as their teacher continued down the attendance sheet, assigning partners and giving them their genres. Eventually he neared the end and Tori realized her knuckles had gone white from gripping the edge of her desk so hard. "So that leaves Tori Vega and Jade West, and you'll be covering suspense and classic musicals." Tori risked a glance at Jade, but the girl's head was turned away. "Alright, you'll have two weeks for this. If you have any questions, feel free to- yes, Jade?" Tori's eyes snapped across the room.

"Can we switch partners?"

"No," he said simply. "If you have any other questions, now's the time to ask."

A few students raised their hands, and Tori heard a sort of humming noise as questions were asked and answered. Alarms were ringing inside her head, huge bells and buzzers and flashing signs telling her to look at the teacher and pay attention. But, even from across the room, she could see Jade's chest rapidly rising and falling, her nostrils flared, her hands balled into fists. And then Jade's head snapped in her direction and Tori's body forgot how to function. Her lungs filled but didn't empty. Her heart gave one single, solitary, questioning thump in her chest. Her fingers tingled and then went numb as her brain stopped sending the message to _let go of the freakin' desk already._ And Jade's fierce blue eyes were responsible for all of it.

_One time, when they were both home sick from school, Tori and Jade wrote an entire story through paper plane notes passed between their windows. Jade had started it off about a girl who found out her sister was an alien. Tori laughed, thinking of herself and Trina, and wrote the next couple of lines. They passed the note back and forth a few times. Jade's contributions got longer, and Tori's got shorter, until Tori just sent the plane back with a small note in the margin that said "Finish it so I can read." It took a while, and she flipped through her history textbook, reading up on what she was missing by being home, but eventually a plane soared back. And then another, and another, and another. Jade had managed four pages, front and back. Tori shoved her history book off her bed and devoured Jade's story instead. Once she had finished reading it, she bent over the edge of her bed, grabbed her notebook and a pencil and scribbled a message to Jade. She tore the page from its binding, made the expert creases that her hands could do in her sleep, stood up and threw it out into the air. She watched as Jade caught it and unfolded it right there in her own window. Jade blinked a few times and looked up from the page. "Okay," she called. Tori's cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Her message had been "Write stories all the time, please?"_

Tori was in a daze, barely aware of the bell ringing or the blur that was Jade leaving the classroom. She stumbled up the stairs in the main hallway. She mumbled her way through a song in her vocal class, earning strange looks from Andre, Cat and their teacher. She wasn't even sure what happened in her last class of the day, or if she even attended it. She stood in front of her open locker, students bustling around her, and stared inside, trying to figure out how she had gotten there. It wasn't until a body thumped against the locker next to hers that she shook her head and came to her senses. "I'll handle suspense, obviously, and you'll study like, The Sound of fucking Music or something. We'll write our pieces and stitch 'em together the night before it's due, deal?"

"Frankenstein."

What? Where did that come from? Had that actually come out of Tori's mouth? If the look Jade was giving her was any clue, it had and she was just as confused at Tori was. "Articulate, Vega. The fuck are you talking about?"

Tori made some strange gesture with her hands. "Stitch them together. Like Frankenstein's monster." Oh my god, what was her mouth doing? What was her _brain_ doing? Jade rolled her eyes and pushed off the locker with her shoulders. "Jade!" Tori took a half step away from her locker as the other girl started walking away. Great, now Tori was walking like Frankenstein's monster. She shook her head again. "Jade, wait!"

Jade spun on her heel, her arms crossing over her stomach as she waited for Tori to say something that actually made sense. Tori cleared her throat and took another, sturdier, step forward. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, it'll probably be better if we work on it together." Tori was proud of herself. That had been two complete sentences in a row. Yay! Her brain seemed to be playing catch-up, whirring away at warp speed to understand everything. This assignment was the perfect opportunity to spend time with Jade. Maybe even see if she could figure out what was going on inside her head. Make sense of it all.

Jade seemed to be thinking the same thing, only she wanted a different outcome than Tori. "No, I think we should just 'Frankenstein' this shit." Her hands had raised, her fingers bending in air quotes and she dropped them to her sides as she stalked off down the hallway. Tori watched her go, one of Jade's hands reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear as she pushed past a group of students. Tori sighed and shuffled back to her locker.

"Oh my god, tell me you're not." Trina's body collapsed against Tori's locker, slamming it shut.

"Uh, I wasn't done in there, but okay?" Tori looked at her sister, one of her eyebrows quirking as Trina huffed and stomped a foot.

"Tell me you're not hanging out with _Jade West_ again," Trina demanded.

"What? Why do you care?" Tori shooed her sister away from her locker and spun her combination on the dial.

"I care because I am your big sister and she was a bad influence on you!"

Tori laughed in disbelief as she opened her locker again. "What are you talking about?"

Trina shoved an accusing finger in Tori's face. "You were always so mean!"

"I was not!" Tori protested, switching out books and notes.

"Yes you were! You guys would torture me all the time!" Trina's voice had fallen into a whine and Tori had to roll her eyes. "You guys would throw stuff at me and say mean things and be horrible!"

"We were kids, Trina. And you weren't exactly an angel, either," Tori countered, shutting her locker again. "Remember all the names you used to call Jade?"

Trina flapped her hand as if it wasn't important and carried on. "Look, I'm just sayin'. I finally have a little sister that I don't hate and I don't want you to turn back into that annoying brat you always were as a kid. You two running around having fun and always leaving me out."

"Annoying brat?" Tori had to laugh at that. And then something in her brain clicked. "Wait. Wait a minute. Are you jealous? Oh my god!" Tori cried as Trina rolled her eyes and started stomping away. "Trina." Tori followed after her sister and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. "Trina, look, I'm sorry if you felt left out as a kid, but that was a long time ago." Trina crossed her arms, giving Tori a wary look. "You're my big sis and I, y'know, love ya." Tori punched Trina playfully on the arm and the older Vega seemed to relax a little. "It's just an assignment with Jade, okay? She's not gonna, like, _steal _me away from you or anything."

Trina rolled her eyes and her body sagged. "I wasn't worried about that."

Tori cocked a brow. "Really?" Trina opened her mouth and blinked, trying to force words to form. Tori grinned and opened her arms up. "C'mon. Vega love. Gimme a hug." Trina rolled her eyes and started walking away, Tori chasing after her, her arms still held wide, all the way out to the parking lot. They were halfway home before a question presented itself in Tori's mind, and she was surprised she hadn't thought of it sooner. Like on her first day of school. She reached out and turned the volume on the radio down, Trina glancing at her as she did so. "Is that why you didn't tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

Tori shifted to face her older sister, bending one of her legs up onto the seat. "That Jade went to Hollywood Arts. Was it because you were scared I'd like, run off to be her friend and you'd never see me again?"

Trina glanced at her and quickly turned back to face the road, mumbling something under her breath. Tori grinned and leaned closer, cupping a hand around her ear. "Sorry? Didn't catch that." Trina huffed and mumbled again. "Still didn't hear ya." Trina slammed a hand against the steering wheel. "Yes, okay? I thought maybe you wouldn't recognize her, since it took me like a year of passing her in the hallways to realize who she was."

Tori patted her sister's arm. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Trina shooed her hand away. "There's nothing to worry about, anyway. Jade doesn't even acknowledge that we know each other."

Trina frowned. "Why?"

"No idea," Tori said with a shrug.

"Yeah, well, she was always weird."

"You're just jealous."

"I am not! Shut up! Tori, stop laughing!"

Tori had been home for about an hour when she received a Text from Andre, seeing if she wanted to rehearse their scene for Sikowitz one last time. She had responded sure, and he said he'd be over to her house soon. So Tori nudged Trina's leg with her foot. Trina grunted and rolled over on the couch, shoving her face into a pillow. Tori rolled her eyes and bent down to shake her sister. "Trina, wake up." Trina's arm shot out, Tori having to lean back so she wasn't hit, and the older Vega blearily looked up. "Andre's coming over to rehearse a scene. You need to move." Trina grumbled, and in a half-asleep stupor, stood up and meandered up the stairs to her room. Tori laughed to herself and started clearing the table of all her school stuff. She shoved her books and notes into her bag and tossed it over by the door, knowing she had finished the homework she would need for the next day. All that was left was perfecting her scene with Andre and she could end her second week at Hollywood Arts much more calmly and confident than her first.

She was sitting on the couch, watching some cartoon, when her doorbell rang. "It's open!" She hollered, turning her head when Andre came in. He smiled and sat down on the couch next to her. "Workin' hard, I see," He said with a grin.

"You know it. You want a drink or anything?" She asked, taking a sip of her own pink lemonade.

Andre shook his head and relaxed into the sofa next to her. "I'm good, thanks." They watched the rest of the cartoon, laughing as some crazy character got into all sorts of insane antics, and then when it was over Tori leaned forward and grabbed the remote. "I guess it's time to rehearse?" Andre asked, stretching his arms out in front of him.

Tori turned the tv off and set her glass down. "Don't sound so excited about it," she teased, shooting him a smile. Andre clapped her on the back as he stood up. Tori pushed to her feet and they set about rearranging the sofas so they had a bit more room to move around. They ran through the scene twice, making minor adjustments to their actions and blocking, and then a third time just to make sure everything flowed smoothly. Trina popped downstairs at one point to see why they were yelling at each other, and when they told her it was for a scene, she huffed and trudged back to her room, mumbling something about 'amateurs'. They ran through the scene one last time, grinning and holding back laughter as they screamed at each even louder than they had before.

"Hey," Andre said as they leaned against the counter in Tori's kitchen, taking a lemonade break after returning the couches to their proper places, "I have to write a song for one of my classes, and I was wondering if you'd listen to it and tell me what you think?"

"Sure!" Tori agreed enthusiastically. She followed him over to the piano and leaned against it as Andre sat down on the bench. He started playing something slow, and Tori's eyes followed his hands as they shifted and moved along the keys. Then he started singing and Tori got lost for a few minutes in the song. When he finished, she clapped and he ducked his head down in embarrassment. "You think it's alright?"

"Alright? Andre, it's amazing!"

"Thanks. I wrote it about this girl I met at the movies."

"Ah," Tori nodded knowingly. "Hence all the talk about having love just like the movies."

"Yeah," Andre agreed with a chuckle, "hence."

"Well it's really good," Tori said again.

"Thanks. I still have to record it, and I might change the bridge a bit, but I'm pretty happy with it." They talked about his song, and school in general, for a while. Tori was seriously impressed when he said that he'd written a handful of songs since his teacher first set the assignment.

"I can't believe how easy it is for you," Tori had sighed as they moved from the piano back to the sofas.

Andre scoffed. "Man, anyone can write a song. Go on. Make one up."

"Uh," Tori looked at Andre like he had gone crazy, but Andre just nodded for her to do it. "I love cheese," Tori sang, "it's the bee's knees."

Andre held up a hand and looked away. "Yeah, maybe you _should_ leave it to the professionals." Tori swatted at his arm and they both laughed.

A few minutes later, after they had both calmed down, Tori glanced at the clock. "Do you wanna stay for dinner? My parents should be home soon."

"Nah, I should probably go," he said, getting to his feet. "I promised my grandma I'd fill her ice cube trays." When he saw Tori's confused look, he clarified. "The frost on the edges freaks her out and if I get there too late she'll think I'm a burglar and call the cops."

"Then I guess you should head on over," Tori chuckled, standing up. She walked him to the door and smiled when he told her that she'd do great in Sikowitz's the next day. She gave him a quick hug and waved bye as he walked down her driveway.

_One time, when it was raining and they were stuck inside for the day, Tori and Jade wrote a song. Tori's parents were both at work and Trina was supposed to be watching them, but she had disappeared into her room, annoyed by the two younger girls laughing and fooling around at the piano. It was a dumb song about how mean their teacher was, but they had fun. Especially at one point when Jade started substituting Trina's name for their teacher's. As Jade played chords on the piano, Tori sang louder than she ever had before because Jade said she liked her voice. They abandoned the piano for the sofa and watched some cartoon instead of singing. After a while, Tori's mom came home, said 'hi' to both girls and listened with an amused smile as they sang her their new song, even though Tori kind of mumbled and Jade's voice drowned her out. But then the phone rang, and the smile slipped from Mrs. Vega's face, and when she hung up, she turned to the girls and quietly said, "Jade, that was your mom. I think you'd better go home now, okay?" Jade nodded and put her coat on, gave Tori and Mrs. Vega a quick wave and dashed out into the rain. Tori would randomly start humming the song for weeks after that. Not because it was good, or she was proud of it, but because it was theirs, and she could hear Jade's voice in her mind._

Tori and Andre had gone first. They nailed their scene and Sikowitz told them they did a great job. A few other pairs went, and Tori was surprised at how well Cat could act. Red in the face, screaming at Robbie one minute and then bubbly and bouncing back to her seat the next. Tori noticed a pattern with all of the scenes. They all involved people who were dating and breaking up, and they all ended up in screaming matches or crying or both. Until Beck and Jade were called up and they pulled a table and three chairs to the middle of the stage. They sat down, at opposite ends of the small rectangular table, their hands mimicking the motions of eating. Neither of them said anything for a while. Instead, they just sat there, occasionally glancing at the other, but mostly just staring at where their plates would be. A strange sort of tension settled over the room. It was awkward, and uncomfortable, and Tori noticed several people squirming in their seats. The silence was finally broken when Beck glanced at Jade and said, in an exasperated sigh, "We can't keep going on like this. It isn't fair."

"Fair?" Jade's voice was a whisper. She lifted her gaze and met Beck's tired looking eyes. "Fair?" Her voice was a little louder, gaining strength as her palms rested on the table, her fingers splaying out. "Let's talk about fair. Like how fair it was to get me pregnant when I was eighteen. Or how fair it is that you're too busy at work to deal with the family that _you_ created." Tori had a sinking feeling in her stomach. This wasn't acting. This was a conversation, or an argument, that Jade had heard and was just repeating. Beck's character tried to protest, but Jade cut him off quickly. "No, you wanted to talk about fair, so let's talk. How fair is it that you'd rather be with that tramp you've been seeing than spend time with your own child?" Jade flung a hand towards the empty chair at the table and Beck seemed to recoil. "How fair is it, that after all the time I've spent trying to hold this family together, you tell me you want a divorce so you can go play house with some other woman?" Tori had to close her eyes. The scene dissolved from there, Jade's voice escalating into an almost hysteric cry, and Beck's rising to meet her. There was anger and frustration and a dozen other feelings Tori couldn't put names to bubbling beneath every line either of them spat at the other. The sound of a chair being kicked over rang through the room, and then heavy footfalls, and Tori opened her eyes. Beck was gone, leaving Jade alone on stage, staring at the empty chairs and table in front of her. "It's not fair." And then Jade was shoving her own chair backwards and stomping off the stage, out through the door next to it.

Tori had the insane urge to run after her. To follow her and hug her and tell her that it was okay. But it wasn't okay. And Tori's feet felt like they were made of lead. And soon Beck was running from the back of the classroom toward the door Jade had just disappeared through, and then Sikowitz was coughing awkwardly and asking Andre to help him clear the stage. And Tori could only stare at the door. Because she knew that Jade's parents fought. Often. But Jade had never said why, or about what, and if the things she was saying on stage were true, and Tori knew they were, then Jade's family was a lot more messed up than she had ever realized. Somewhere, far away, the bell sounded. But the lead had grown and spread and Tori couldn't move any part of her body. And then Cat was tugging on her arm, telling her they were going to be late for math. And somehow Tori pushed past the lead and made her body take orders. Stand. Walk. Sit. Stand. Walk. Sit. Stand. Walk. Corner Beck outside of fourth period. "What happened?" Tori was demanding, startling herself as well as Beck with the almost accusatory tone in her voice.

"Whoa," Beck gave her a strange look, holding his hands up in defense. "What's going on?"

"Jade. What happened?" She was invading his personal space and it made him uncomfortable, she could tell. But her eyes were hard and she stepped even closer.

He was up against a wall. Quite literally. "I don't know. Every time we rehearsed, she was fine. And then today," he trailed off, giving a sort of shrug.

"Where'd she go?"

"She was already gone by the time I got into the hallway. I checked the janitor's closet, the rec room, she wasn't anywhere she normally hides out." He paused, his brows furrowing together. "Why are you so upset? She'll be okay." Tori barely met his eyes, instead mumbling about Jade being obviously upset and Tori just being concerned like anybody else. Beck gave another shrug and took a step sideways, so Tori was no longer pining him to the wall. "She'll be fine. She wants to be left alone right now. Trust me, I know her." Tori looked up at him when he said that. The tone in his voice, like he knew best and Tori was just some little kid who should listen to the grown-up… She walked past him and into class, dropping heavily into a seat next to Andre.

Jade wasn't at lunch either. Tori fidgeted all through theater history, just waiting for the bell to ring, and then she ran through the hallways to her screenwriting class, hoping that Jade would show. She didn't. By the end of the day, Tori seemed to have developed some sort of tick. Her hands were twitching, her fingers curling and uncurling into fists. She headed towards her locker at the end of the day, actually upset at not being able to go to school the next morning. She would have to wait the whole weekend to see Jade, and Tori knew that she wouldn't be able to do anything but worry. She wasn't even sure if she was allowed to worry. It had been so long, and Jade obviously didn't want to rekindle their friendship. Sure, Jade was making eye contact with Tori, and speaking to her, even if it was in a mocking tone, but she wasn't exactly being friendly.

Tori spun the combination on her lock, lifted the latch and let the door swing open. She grabbed a book from her bag and threw it in, frowning. She felt like her thoughts had been so one track since she started at her new school. It couldn't be healthy, right? To think of classwork and socializing as distractions from a larger problem? Or how her eyes seemed to always fall on Jade if she was nearby, no matter how hard Tori tried to move them, to look at anything else. It was just frustrating. And confusing. And Tori didn't understand what was going on.

"Hey hey, Tori!"

Tori's head snapped up as Cat bounced next to her. "Uh, hey, Cat," She said, forcing a smile.

"We were thinking of maybe seeing a movie tonight so Andre can try and find some girl. You wanna come?" Cat's hands were clasped in front of her and she was swinging her arms back and forth.

"Um, I don't know," Tori started to say. Going out would be a good distraction from all her thoughts of Jade, but she also wanted to just kind of stay home and think. Maybe stare at the house next door through her bedroom window until it gave up the fight and told her all of its secrets.

Cat stopped swaying and pouted. "But you gotta come! If Andre finds that girl I'll be all alone with Robbie and Rex."

Tori looked at her friend, Cat's eyes big and pleading and her bottom lip jutting out, and sighed. "Alright, I'll go."

Cat squealed and launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around Tori. "Yay! I'll text Andre when I get home and find out what time." And just like that, Cat had untangled herself from around Tori. A small smile tugged at the corners of Tori's lips and she shook her head as the bright red hair bobbed off down the almost empty hallway. Tori realized that she had been standing there for longer than she meant to and hurried off to the parking lot before Trina decided to leave without her.

The ride home seemed longer than normal. Tori was staring out the window, thinking about the scene in Sikowitz's, and Trina was belting out some song on the radio at the top of her lungs. Tori was curled up against the door when she turned to look at Trina. "Hey, where are we going?"

Trina shrugged and continued singing. Tori sighed and turned her head back to watch the scenery speed by as Trina made yet another turn at random. Eventually they came to a stop outside a small ice cream shop. Tori groaned as Trina turned off the car and unbuckled. "Trina, I don't want ice cream. Can't we just go home?"

"My car. My rules. And I rule ice cream." Trina opened her door and then froze, one foot on the pavement, the other still in the car. "Not that I _rule_ ice cream. It's not some land that I can just claim to be queen of. Now, Candyland? _ There_ is a land I would be queen of." Tori was stumbling out of the car in her haste to end the conversation.

"Why are you upset?"

Tori looked up from her bowl of ice cream to her sister. Trina was watching her with wide eyes, expectant. "I'm not upset." Trina scoffed and dug her spoon into her rapidly disappearing dessert. "I'm not," Tori insisted. "It's just," she paused, giving a small shrug, "these past couple of weeks. New school. New friends. It's been kinda crazy."

Trina waved her hand, dismissing Tori, and a bit of ice cream flew off her spoon. "Listen, I wrote the book on crazy, okay? And you, missy," Trina pointed her spoon at Tori as a clump of chocolate slid down onto the table, "are upset, not crazy."

Tori stirred the contents of her bowl with her spoon. The ice cream had started to melt, and the more she stirred it, the more liquid it became. "A lot's happened lately. I'm allowed to be a little overwhelmed," she murmured.

There was a scraping noise, and Tori looked up to see Trina getting the last bits of ice cream out of her bowl. "Fine. Don't tell me. Just wallow away and leave your big sis hangin'. _Whatever_," Trina said, annoyance obvious in her voice. Tori sighed and pushed her bowl across the table as a peace offering. Trina glanced at it and then looked at Tori with distrust in her eyes. Tori lifted a palm as if to say 'go ahead' and Trina started digging in.

"No offence, but all this sister talk lately is kinda freaking me out."

"Tell me about it," Trina said, ice cream spraying out of her mouth.

"Charming," Tori commented. "How are you still single?"

Trina's mouth fell open in shock. "I ask myself that _all_ the time!"

Tori had changed the subject quickly after that, and Trina went along with it. They left soon after, and the ride home went much like the ride from school. Tori's feet were both on the seat, her head resting on her knees, Trina dancing and singing along to Ke$ha, pausing only to tell Tori that how she was sitting wasn't safe. Tori rolled her eyes but dropped her feet to the floor all the same. Tori got a text from Cat saying that they were meeting up at the movie theater at eight to see some romcom that had just come out. Tori texted back that she'd definitely be there, and then Cat responded with about a dozen smiley faces, a handful of exclamation points, and a few symbols that Tori didn't recognize but figured were just the result of Cat's excitement. "Hey, Trina," she asked as they pulled into their driveway, "wanna come to movies with me later?"

"Like I'd be caught dead at the movies with you."

Tori rolled her eyes. It was amazing how fast Trina could flip a switch. "Can you give me a ride at least? I'm supposed to meet everyone there at eight."

Trina threw the car into park and hesitated before taking off her seatbelt. "Everyone?"

"Yeah, you know, my friends?" Tori offered, unbuckling herself.

"Yeah, okay, I'll join you."

Tori looked up just as Trina was getting out of the car. She opened her own door and followed her sister into their house. "Wait, why'd you change your mind?"

"You're friends with that Beck kid, right? Tall, kind of broody, super hot?" Trina's face scrunched up as she closed the door behind Tori.

"Yeah," Tori said slowly.

"Then I'll definitely be there," she said and headed off towards the stairs.

Tori rolled her eyes, not even bothering to point out that Beck had a girlfriend and that said girlfriend was one Jade West. Which, as soon as she thought that, made Tori think about the day's events. Tori sighed and trudged upstairs, feeling a boulder settle firmly in her stomach.

_One time, when they were camped out in her backyard, Tori and Jade made a promise. They promised to be best friends forever, and Jade had even pointed up at the night sky and demanded that Tori swear it on the moon. Tori had laughed at the time and then pointed at the ground, demanding that Jade swear it on the Earth. It escalated until eventually they were just giggling, swearing on infinity and fireflies and Trina's favorite shirt and paper planes that they would be friends forever. It was a promise that Tori believed. Because there was magic in the small tent in her backyard, and in the fireflies hovering on the edge of her pool, and in the stars reflected in Jade's eyes._

Tori had to run to keep up with Trina. The parking lot at the theater was crowded, so they were stuck parking far away, and Trina was in no mood to keep Beck waiting as she was quick to point out. Tori didn't think Beck would mind, but she couldn't tell Trina that. So they ran into the theater, Tori immediately spotting Cat's bright hair on the other side of the foyer. She approached with a small wave, Trina panting next to her, eyes desperately scanning the crowd for any sign of her prey. "Hey, guys," Tori huffed, slightly out of breath also, as she stepped up beside her friends. Andre, Cat, and Robbie turned and greeted her, but before any of them could really say anything, Trina was gripping Tori's arm. "Where is he? Do you see him? Does my hair look okay?"

"Uh," Andre started, raising an eyebrow at Trina, "who are ya lookin' for?"

"Beck!" Trina snapped. She pushed up onto the balls of her feet to better scan the crowd.

"Oh, he's not coming," Cat chirped.

"What!" Trina rounded on Cat so fast that Tori was knocked back from the force, stopped from falling by Robbie's hand on her back. "What do you mean he's not coming?" Trina grabbed at Cat, but the small girl was quick and ducked behind Andre for cover. That didn't stop Trina though, and Tori was stunned as the girls started ducking and weaving around Andre, Cat screaming and Trina demanding answers. Andre shot Tori a pleading look and she stepped forward, grabbing her sister firmly by the shoulders. She and Robbie pulled a struggling Trina away and Cat's head poked out from behind Andre. "Where is he?" Trina demanded.

"He had to talk to Jade," Cat said quietly. "Don't chase me again!"

Trina rounded on Tori. "You promised he'd be here!"

"I did not," Tori said indignantly. "You just assumed!"

"_You_ assumed, assumer!" Trina yelled back.

"What does that even mean!" Tori shouted back.

"Ladies!" Andre interrupted and stepped forward, putting a hand on each of their shoulders as Cat shuffled along behind him. "Relax, alright? Now, we came to see a movie, so let's all take a deep breath and go see this movie." Trina looked like she wanted to lunge at Tori again, but Andre stopped her with a sharp "Uh-uh!"

"Oh man, you never stop a chick fight!" All eyes turned to Robbie, whose hand shot up to cover Rex's mouth.

After another tense moment, Trina huffed and threw an arm out towards the ticket counter. "Fine! Let's go see the stupid movie!" Andre walked between Tori and Trina, and Cat shuffled over to Tori's other side, glancing warily sideways at Trina. They got their tickets, and then some popcorn, and headed into the theater.

Trina had fallen asleep before the previews were even done. "Is your sister narcoleptic?" Andre asked with concern, poking Trina's arm.

"She's something, alright," Rex mumbled.

Tori glanced over at her sister and shook her head. "She just missed her afternoon nap. She'll be fine." Andre choked back a laugh as the opening credits rolled.

Trina woke up halfway through the movie with a very startled gasp, causing the other patrons to shush their group loudly. Trina just waved off their protests and leaned across Andre and Tori to grab some popcorn from Cat. The movie itself was actually pretty funny, and Tori found herself laughing through most of it, Cat giggling excitedly next to her. Once the movie was over, they all headed back out to the lobby. "You guys wanna do anything?" Tori asked as she took the empty popcorn bag from Cat and threw it in a trashcan.

"Can't. I have to get up early for some family thing tomorrow," Andre said.

"He's my ride." Cat pointed at Andre.

"I spy a cutie that might need some love," Rex said, his head turned to look across the lobby.

"Rex, do we have to?" Robbie asked in a pleading tone.

"Get a move on, boy!" Robbie gave a small wave as he trudged off through the lobby.

"Alright. Well you guys drive safe and I'll talk to you later." They said their goodbyes, Tori giving Andre and Cat hugs and Trina sort of waving with a mumbled 'later', and the Vegas headed off towards Trina's car. "That movie was pretty good."

"It was alright," Trina said with a shrug. "The main guy was really cute, though."

Tori laughed at her sister's almost one-track mind. They talked a bit more about the movie as they drove home. Tori was surprised at how much Trina had figured out about what happened during the parts she was asleep for. "Geez, Tor, it wasn't like _Inception_ or anything," Trina said when Tori voiced her surprise.

"Oh, like you understood that movie," Tori scoffed.

"Nope. But the boy I saw it with did," Trina grinned. Tori rolled her eyes as they pulled into their driveway.

"Thanks for coming and for driving," Tori said as they unbuckled and got out of the car.

"Yeah, yeah, don't expect it to become a habit or anything," Trina said with a smile as they walked up to the house. Tori chuckled and followed her sister inside. It was later than she realized, and Tori gave her sister a quick hug goodnight before heading off to her bedroom. She pulled her Pearphone out of her pocket and tossed it on the small table next to her bed. She got changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed.

Tori was woken up the next morning by Trina singing. Loudly. Tori could hear her sister even over the water in the shower and through two shut doors. Tori groaned and rolled over in bed, dragging one of her pillows on top of her head. Trina's singing was still just as loud, though, and after a few minutes Tori gave up on trying to sleep. She sat up, pushed her covers back, and climbed out of bed. She padded out of her room, down the hall past the bathroom, and carried herself downstairs to the kitchen. There was a note on the counter from her mom saying that their dad was at work and she had gone out for the day with some friends. Tori shrugged at it and headed for the fridge.

With a bowl of cereal in hand, Tori plopped down on one of the sofas, taking a second to turn the tv on. She flipped through a few channels until she landed on an old movie and then dropped the remote on the table in front of her. She crossed her legs on the sofa and started eating her breakfast.

It was several minutes later when someone knocked at the door. "Just a minute!" Tori called, leaning forward to set down what remained of her cereal. She got to her feet and walked to the door, which wasn't even locked, Tori thought with a sigh. It's like her parents wanted her and Trina to get crazy murdered by some psycho. Tori paused, her hand stretched out to the door handle. Well, maybe her parents just wanted Trina to get crazy murdered. No, Tori shook her head and opened the door. And then her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open in shock. Because on the other side, a scowl on her lips, a messenger bag hanging from her shoulder, and a cup of coffee clutched between her hands, was Jade. Tori blinked several times, wondering if she had fully woken up or if she had fallen back asleep and this was a dream.

"As fun as it would be to stand on your doorstep all day, move so I can come in."

Tori blinked again, her head nodding slowly, and stepped back, opening the door wide. She watched as Jade walked into her house, glancing quickly around the room, and then dropped onto one of the sofas. Tori closed the door and took a moment to gather her thoughts. Jade was in her house. Jade had showed up at her house. Tori's mind was reeling, filled with questions and concern and a bit of confusion. But mostly, as Jade glanced at her in an expectant sort of way, Tori only had one thought.

Jade West had cracked.

**A/N Lois Mars, since I couldn't respond to your review, I just wanted to say thank you and yes, this will be a Jori friendship and then evolve into something more. I'm a fan of slow burners, so I'm trying to build up the foundation first. I hope I'm doing that okay =) Although, since my chapters are so lengthy, you probably won't have to wait much longer. (Hint? Maybe?)**

**I'm sorry if you got several emails or were confused or if the chapter disappeared halfway through reading it. Something, somewhere deep in the depths of the interwebs where fanfiction lives, went wrong. It happens. But I hope this chapter was worth all the trouble it caused, the cheeky little thing.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Of course, as soon as I added the word 'boobies' to the last chapter it uploaded properly. A little tip if anyone else ever has trouble.**

**Disclaimer: All I own is a slight headache and a lovely blanket.**

_Jade always took more risks than Tori. Things were usually Jade's idea and Tori went along with them because they were fun, or just because Jade was her friend. In fourth grade their class took a field trip to the beach. Their teacher said it was to better understand the ocean, to learn about the moon and the tide and all sorts of other crap that no one really cared about because who wanted to learn science when there was sand and water and sunshine? Tori's mom had been one of the chaperones, although she seemed to have the same idea as most of the students, because she was wearing shorts and a tank top and had a huge bag with a blanket and sunscreen and snacks in it. Eventually their teacher gave up trying to teach them and just said that whoever gathered the most seashells would get extra points on their next test. Jade and Tori teamed up, wandering along the sand while the water lapped at their feet. Eventually they had wandered pretty far from the rest of the group, and Tori turned around and saw Jade kneeling in the sand. "What's wrong?" Tori asked as she walked over. "It's dead," Jade said. Tori walked closer, peering over Jade's shoulder at the small, lifeless bird in the sand. Tori said it was gross, that Jade should leave it alone, but Jade didn't listen. Instead, she started digging a hole in the sand. Tori glanced towards their group and then back to Jade. She dropped the shells in her arms and knelt down next to her friend, helping her dig a grave. Tori refused to touch the bird, but Jade did. She lowered it into the hole and then the two of them covered it up with sand. When Tori told her mom, Mrs. Vega freaked out and dragged them both off the beach to wash their hands and told them never to touch anything like that again. Jade was quiet for the rest of the day._

"I see you've already started on the assignment." Jade nodded towards the television, where a cheery song and dance from _Singin' in the Rain _was playing out.

"What?" Tori looked startled. "Oh, no, I was eating breakfast. That just happened to be on." Her hair was in disarray, pulled back in a messy ponytail, random strands sticking up and out all over. Her dark blue shirt was wrinkled and some of the fabric on her shorts was bunched up.

Jade's lips curled into a smirk as she pulled the strap of her bag over her head and dropped it on the floor next to the sofa. "Jesus, Vega, it's almost noon. Did you really just wake up?"

"Shut up, it's Saturday. I'm allowed to sleep in." Tori tugged at the hem of her shirt with one hand while the other fidgeted with her hair. Jade placed her coffee down and dropped onto the sofa, kicking her feet up on the table in front of her. Tori stood awkwardly, watching as Jade's eyes roamed around the room. "Jade?" Tori's voice was quiet, like she wasn't sure what she should be asking but knew that she should be asking something.

"Fuck Frankenstein." Jade draped one arm across her stomach while the other picked at a speck of lint on the sofa.

"Frankenstein," Tori repeated dumbly.

"No, Vega." Jade turned and looked her straight in the eyes. "_Fuck _Frankenstein. I'm not risking my grade in screenwriting because you can't write a paper. So go get your shit," Jade gestured towards the stairs, "and let's just get this assignment over with."

Tori hesitated, just staring at the girl on her couch. Jade widened her eyes and shooed Tori away. Tori tripped over her feet and stumbled towards the stairs. "Brush your hair. That rat's nest is hurting my eyes," Jade called over her shoulder. There was a pause, and then the sound of Tori's feet retreating upstairs. Jade crossed her ankles and turned her attention to the tv. It was weird, being back in the Vega household after so long. She couldn't believe that she'd actually decided to show up. Just pulling up outside had caused a strange pang in her chest and her mind to flood with memories. But she had made a decision, and Jade West was not a quitter. She was going to face her past, confront the shit out of it, and deal. After the shitshow that had been her performance in Sikowitz's class, Jade didn't really think she had much of a choice. Obviously, she thought with a scoff, there was still a lot of stuff she hadn't gotten over. So what better way to move on than by going to the house that had been her escape for so long and facing the girl that had been her safety? Not that she would ever admit that to Tori fucking Vega, because Jade still had some pride, but if she could be in that house, surrounded by those memories, both good and bad, then she could firmly shove her past behind her and keep it there. It sounded like a great plan to Jade, and she was there to follow through with it.

She watched the movie for a few minutes, kind of enjoying how light hearted it was, and barely turned her head when she heard someone coming down the stairs. "Took you long enough."

The footsteps stopped abruptly and Jade heard someone inhale sharply, followed by 'no' being muttered over and over. Jade spun around, catching Trina creeping back up the stairs. She turned back around and smirked as raised voices sounded from upstairs. It looked like the older Vega still liked Jade just as much as she always had. Jade found it easy enough to ignore Trina at school. After all, she didn't look anything like she did as a kid, and even when she was little, Jade tried to ignore Trina as much as possible. Unless it was to make fun of her, and then Jade was at attention. The yelling stopped and then someone was hopping down the stairs. "Took you long enough," Jade repeated.

Tori rounded the sofa and sat on the other end, dropping her laptop, a book, and some papers next to her. "Yeah, Trina kind of," Tori looked at Jade, who was still watching the tv, and sighed. "Well, she was very Trina about you being here."

"The feeling's mutual," Jade mumbled, leaning forward to grab the remote. She turned the television off, dropped the remote and leaned back against the couch. She glanced at Tori, the small frown creasing the girl's forehead, the way her mouth was turned down at the corners, and as soon as Tori opened her mouth to speak, Jade cut her off. "So I figure if we just make a list of the obvious differences first, it'll be easier to focus on the finer details later," Jade said, bending forward to grab her own bag. She pulled it closer to her feet and threw the top open. She heard a murmur of assent from Tori and dug around, finding what she was looking for rather quickly. "I brought a few sample excerpts from a couple different movies, plus the screenplay for _Psycho_, and the dvd." Jade noticed how wide Tori's eyes got as she dropped the stack of papers onto the table. "Don't worry," Jade said quickly. "It's the original, not the remake."

"Oh, I'm not worried about _that_," Tori said slowly.

"Then what's your problem?" Jade didn't mean to speak so sharply, but Tori flinched slightly all the same.

"I just _really _don't like scary movies."

"Well it's not all blood and guts, if that's what you're worried about. It's more psychological," Jade said, huffing as she fell back against the couch.

"Oh, good! Because that's so much better." Tori reached forward and grabbed the dvd case from on top of the papers. "It's called _Psycho_, Jade. It's going to be terrifying!"

"It isn't real!" Jade countered, grabbing the movie back.

"That doesn't make it any less scary!"

Jade glared at Tori. Then she shoved the movie back into her bag and reached for all her papers. "This was a mistake. I don't know what the fuck I was thinking." She shoved the rest of her belongings back into her bag, ignoring Tori's protests. "Just, do your happy little musicals," Jade said, standing up and throwing the strap of her bag over her shoulder, "I'll do the shit you're too scared to deal with, and then we'll figure out how to combine them without it being a completely disjointed piece of shit." Jade had just opened the door when Tori finally managed a coherent sentence.

"What happened to you?"

Jade wasn't sure if Tori meant years ago, or after Sikowitz's class, or just then, but she didn't really want to explain about any of it. Instead she just stepped outside, slamming the door behind her, and stormed down the driveway to her car parked in the street. That was a mistake though, because as soon as she rounded the front of her car and reached the driver's door, she got a full view of her old house. The windows were all open, letting in the warm southern California air. The trim had been repainted. The front door was a different color, as well. And the cars in the driveway were completely wrong. Jade's hands clenched into fists and before she knew it, she was stalking off down the sidewalk, her bag hitting against her hip as it swung with the motion of her body.

_Jade always went higher than Tori on the swings. Tori would watch, almost in awe, as her best friend kicked and recoiled her legs, swinging higher and higher until Tori was sure that Jade would just fly off into the sky. She never did, but Tori always worried. Jade would cry out in laughter, or excitement, small whoops of adrenaline tearing through her body. But then she would lower her legs, kicking up woodchips and chunks of dirt as she slowed down, decreased the arch of her swing, slowly returned to Earth. To Tori. Sometimes Jade wouldn't come back though. She would wait, going as high as she could, and then just before the seat started its backswing, she would throw herself off. She usually landed with a thud, sometimes tumbling through the grass until Tori ran off after her, making sure she was okay. She always was. Except for the one time she landed wrong and broke her arm, but it didn't hurt as badly as she thought it would. And Tori covered her cast in doodles and pictures and all sorts of things. Jade didn't mind the broken arm that much._

Jade's feet were planted firmly on the ground. She looked up from the indents they had made in the woodchips, to her bent knees, to her hand clasping the chain. It didn't feel right. She felt way too big. She could feel the chains pressing into her hips. They never used to do that. It made sense, she figured, since she wasn't a kid anymore, but she didn't realize how much she had outgrown the seat. Maybe they'd changed the swings like they'd changed the slides and the seat itself was smaller. Maybe they'd changed everything in the park and that's why nothing felt the same. Maybe the world had changed around her and she needed to grow the fuck up and accept it. She grabbed both chains and kicked off the ground.

She felt stupid. Why did she think that she would just be able to walk into Vega's house and everything would be fine? The falling apart hadn't been easy, so why shouldn't the recovery be just as hard? She was an idiot for thinking it'd be simple. The house was exactly the same, from what she had seen, but that was about it. It didn't feel like the haven it had when she was a kid. Now it just felt like a big space with memories that she didn't want to have written on all the walls. Reminders of every fucking reason she had run to that house in the first place. She swung her legs harder, urging the swing to go higher.

And then there was Tori, with concern etched into every worried line on her face, like she knew Jade. Like she knew why Jade had freaked out after doing that stupid scene for Sikowitz. Like she cared and wanted to be there for Jade like she had when they were kids. But they weren't kids anymore. They couldn't just run away when there was a problem and create their own little world in Tori's backyard or bedroom. They couldn't just make up a story, or a song, or a picture, to distract themselves from the real world closing in. "Fuck," Jade hissed to herself, kicking her legs out hard. Why was she even in this stupid park in the middle of the day? There wasn't even anyone else there. Kids were probably too busy with computers and videogames to bother going outside to play. Jade reached the top of the swing's arch and for a split second thought about jumping. But then she was coming back down and the chance was gone. She hadn't done it in so long, she wasn't sure if she still could. Or if she would try and end up breaking her other arm. She swung back, and then forward, and she didn't need to look to know who was getting into the swing next to her. The bar above them squeaked with the extra weight as they started swinging in unison. Jade kept her eyes firmly focused in the opposite direction. "What do you want?"

"I saw your car was still outside and wondered why you hadn't left."

Jade rolled her eyes. Of course Tori would wonder, and of course she would figure out where Jade had gone. Jade stuck her legs out straight, letting her heels hit the ground and dig into the dirt as she slowed down and then stopped altogether. Tori didn't though. She kept going, higher and higher, flying by and then sweeping back and then disappearing from Jade's peripheral only to repeat the actions. "They changed the slides," Jade said. She wasn't sure why. She just felt the need to say _something_ and it was the first thing that popped into her head. Tori laughed, the sound trailing behind her as she flew into the sky.

"Yeah, they did that the spring after you moved. Something about too much graffiti inside."

Jade had to smirk at that. Tori had always yelled at her, telling her not to ruin the slide, but Jade would just pull a pen or marker out of her pocket and scribble away. Other kids had done it too, older kids, whose writings had expanded Jade's vocabulary at a very young age. Jade had gotten Tori to mark the slide, too, once. Just the once though. And Tori had only quickly written their initials. She kept bringing it up for like, a month after that. Jade suspected that Tori had felt like a badass because of it. Jade looked to the girl swinging next to her. Her hair was down now, flowing freely as air rushed around her. "Why aren't you asking me like a million questions?"

"Because you don't wanna talk about it," Tori said simply. Jade watched as Tori swung forward, and then released the chains and flew off the swing. She landed on her feet, her knees bending as her legs absorbed the impact. Tori straightened up and ran a hand through her hair.

"When did you start jumping off? You used to always be terrified of that." Jade said, narrowing her eyes. Tori just shrugged and headed over to the small structure next to the swingset. She jumped up, grabbing hold of the monkey bars, and Jade watched in surprise as Tori lifted her body, hooking her legs around the bars, and then she let go, just dangling upside down from her knees. Jade looked away as Tori's shirt rode up, or rather fell down, revealing her stomach.

"I got over it," Tori said. "When did you stop jumping?"

"Right around the time I broke my arm," Jade mumbled, swaying in her seat. To her surprise, Tori started laughing. Jade's head whipped around to find brown eyes, lit up and staring at her in amusement.

"I'd forgotten about that."

"Yeah, well you weren't the one in a cast for half the spring, Vega." Jade got to her feet quickly, the swing hitting the back of her knees as she let go of the chains. She bent down and picked up her bag then walked over to where Tori was still hanging with a silly grin slapped on her face. "You wanna hang up there all day or are we gonna do this stupid assignment?" Jade snapped.

"Oh, I could probably hang for a little longer," Tori joked, earning an eyeroll from Jade. "Kidding, kidding, don't get your panties in a twist."

"I hate that word," Jade grumbled, looking away as Tori's body curled up, her hands reaching for the bars.

"Twist?" Tori asked as she untangled her legs and dropped to the ground.

Jade glanced back, glad that the hem of Tori's shirt had returned to its proper place and her stomach wasn't on display anymore. "Panties." Tori shrugged in response and they started walking back towards her house. The knot that had been Jade's insides loosened a bit. Knowing that Tori wasn't going to play the Jade West special edition of 20 Questions made her a bit more bearable. It meant that Jade could deal with whatever was going on inside her head on her own. It meant that it would be easier, because she only had to explain herself to herself. She found herself thinking that it wasn't really a surprise, because Tori had an annoying habit of making everything a bit easier for Jade. Or she used to, at least, when they were kids.

The afternoon passed pretty amicably. Trina disappeared soon after they returned to the house, saying something about a sale at the mall, and Jade and Tori worked on their project. They didn't talk much, but when they did, Jade was glad it was always about the assignment at hand. Tori didn't ask any questions, even though Jade could tell she wanted to. Tori wasn't a good enough actress to hide the concern in her eyes. So Jade would just ignore it and kept her gaze focused on the work in front of them. They got an outline set, and had several pages of notes written up. Tori offered to write up the first draft of the paper, focusing more on the musicals, and then Jade agreed to write the second draft, adding in details about suspense and thrillers. Jade hadn't even realized how late it had gotten until Tori was asking her if she wanted to stay for dinner.

Jade knew that would be too much. She'd succeeded in the goal she had set herself for the day. She'd been in the Vega house all afternoon and hadn't lost her shit or stormed out. Well, she had, but she'd come back. Jade knew that dinner would be more than she could handle. She'd had dinner with the Vegas before. It was too happy-perfect-family for her, and she told Tori as much. "If I wanted a cavity from sweetness overload, I would have spent the day with Cat," Jade said as she gathered up her things to go.

"Suit yourself," Tori said with a shrug as she walked Jade to the door.

Jade hesitated, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She felt like she should say something. Tell Tori why she had been acting the way she had. The thought was quickly squashed, though. She didn't owe an explanation. She didn't even know if Tori would understand. Instead she opened the door and muttered "Try not to fuck up the first draft. I don't want to rewrite the entire paper," as she walked out. She heard Tori sigh as the door closed behind her.

Jade walked down the driveway to her car, keeping her gaze off her old house. She climbed into her car and took a deep breath. She stuck her key in the ignition and leaned back in her seat, slowly exhaling. She felt like a weight had been lifted. She had survived. Memories had been on the edge of her mind the entire time she was in that house, banging on her consciousness to acknowledge them, but she hadn't. She'd been able to focus. She leaned over and dug her phone out of her bag, shooting off a quick text message before shoving it back in. She started her car and buckled up, not bothering to wait for a reply as she drove off and headed towards a coffee shop.

_After Jade broke her arm, Tori stopped letting her do things. Not normal things, just stupid ones. Like launching off the swings or trying to jump the giant staircase inside their school. One time Tori even went so far as threatening to never talk to her again if Jade actually tried to build a bridge between their bedroom windows using some random stuff she found in her garage. Jade thought it would be fun, that way she could sneak over whenever she wanted, but Tori said it was dangerous. They argued about it for a while, paper planes flying between them, but eventually Jade caved after Tori didn't respond for ten minutes. It was only ten minutes, but Jade knew that Tori had been showing her she would follow through on the threat. And Jade couldn't stand that._

"So. You wanna tell me why you've been so weird or is this just another one of those things that I'm supposed to go along with and not worry about?"

Jade shrugged, lifting her coffee cup to her lips. Her feet were pulled up on the chair in the corner of the coffee shop by Beck's house. She glanced at him as he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. She rolled her eyes and looked back out the window. "I can't explain it."

"You always say that." He sounded tired. "You say it's complicated, or I wouldn't understand or-"

"Maybe that's because I know you _wouldn't_ understand," Jade snapped. Beck sank into his seat, shaking his head slightly. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, I just literally _cannot_ explain it. It's too complicated."

Beck scoffed. "This time's not any different, Jade. It's always like this." She looked at him, wondering what he was talking about. This time was absolutely different. "You shut down and switch off and leave me on the outside waiting. And then when you get bored of not having me around, you flip back on and expect everything to be fine."

Jade scowled and looked away. She had asked him to get coffee with every intention of explaining herself. Of telling him everything. It's just that once she had gotten there and saw him sitting by himself with two cups, the words had escaped her. And suddenly she couldn't figure out how to simplify the situation enough so he would understand. Because it _was_ complicated, and Jade barely understood it herself. But Beck had expectations. He expected an answer of some sort. And Jade couldn't help but remember that Tori didn't. Tori was just as confused as Beck, but she had said that it didn't matter. She knew that Jade didn't want to, or simply couldn't, talk about it, so she hadn't asked. She'd kept the secret that Jade made a secret in the first place and hadn't pushed her. Hadn't expected anything. "I'm not trying to push you away," she finally said.

"Well it's what you're doing," he answered with a sigh.

Jade didn't know how to respond to that. She could hear something in his voice, in his tone, that she hadn't heard before. Not even when they were fighting. And then her brain misfired, like it had been doing a lot lately. "So you want to break up with me?"

"Dammit, Jade." Beck leaned forward in his seat. His fist had clenched around his cup, causing a crease in the side. "I didn't say that. Just… what's going on with you? You can't keep brushing it off. What happened?"

"I freaked out," Jade answered, her voice rising at the anger in Beck's tone. "There's a lot going on and I just freaked out, okay? I can't explain it any better than that, so if you're expecting a heartfelt confession or some shit, then you should just leave now!" She hadn't meant it to be a challenge, but it came out as one. She watched as the resolve wavered in his eyes, like he actually considered leaving. And then she was standing up and storming out, Beck sinking into his seat as she left.

Jade got into her car, shoving her coffee in one of the cupholders. She slammed her left hand against the steering wheel as her right shoved the keys in the ignition and started it up. She was pulling on her seatbelt when the passenger door opened and Beck slid into the seat. He closed the door behind him and they fell into silence. Jade waiting for him to talk and Beck trying to figure out how to say something without upsetting either of them. "Drive me home?"

"It's like three blocks."

"My feet are tired."

"So crawl."

"I'm not gonna move."

"Then you'll be stuck in the car all weekend because I'm not taking you home."

"Come on, I want to talk about this."

"Well I don't."

"Fine. Take me to the zoo."

"What?" Jade rounded on him so fast that her seatbelt dug into her shoulder. "I'm not taking you to the fucking zoo!"

"Well if you're not gonna take me to the zoo then I guess you just have to take me home."

Jade wasn't sure if she wanted to scream or laugh. Because Beck's mouth was turned up at the corner and he shrugged at her in a 'what can ya do' sort of way and she remembered why he had always added up so well. But instead of thinking it was cute she was just annoyed and frustrated with him. "Fine," she grumbled, throwing the car into drive, "I'll take you home. But we're not talking about this. And you're bringing me coffee Monday morning."

"Yes Ma'am," Beck said as he pulled on his seatbelt. Jade glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. He seemed entirely too satisfied with himself. It was a quick drive to his house from the coffee shop. He really did live like right down the street from it. Jade parked her car and waited as Beck unbuckled and leaned forward in his seat. "Wanna come in?"

"I told you we're not-"

"Talking about this," Beck finished for her. "I know. But you've been out of it for weeks. It'd be nice to hang out." When Jade made no move to answer or get out of the car, Beck tried a different approach. "I've got mangos and there's a special on the History channel about the plague."

Jade glanced at him. "Are you really trying to bribe me right now?"

Beck shrugged. "How else am I supposed to get you to come inside?"

Jade frowned. More at herself than at him. When did it become a chore to hang out with her boyfriend? Since when did he have to bribe her to spend time with him? If she wanted to go back to normal, to move past the shit that had suddenly resurfaced in the back of her mind, she would have to act normal. She exhaled and turned her car off. "They better be some damn good mangos."

They got out of the car and walked up Beck's driveway to his RV. He opened the door for Jade and then headed off to get the mangos from inside his parents' house. Jade liked Beck's RV. It was his, separated from the rest of his family but still close enough if he needed anything, and it was a place where she could escape to if she wanted. As Jade sat down on the couch inside she realized that it had kind of taken the place of Tori's house. And then she thought of how unfair it was that she kept needing places to escape to. Why couldn't she just have a home where she actually felt comfortable or wanted? It was bullshit, and Jade dropped onto the couch with a huff. She folded her arms across her stomach, her default position whenever she was uncomfortable. Beck's RV was filled with memories just like Tori's house. The only difference was the memories with Beck suddenly felt suffocating. Jade couldn't put her finger on why, though. She'd been in countless fights with Beck. Something would happen, and Jade would get mad at him, and then they would make up, usually on the couch that she was sitting on. But he'd never hounded her for reasons before. He usually accepted that she wasn't one to talk about her feelings and let her sort through things on her own, always being there when she decided to come back. Maybe Beck knew it was different this time. That whatever was bothering Jade was bigger than some girl flirting with him, or him not defending Jade if some asshole called her scary. Maybe he knew, just like Jade did, that this time it was actually important.

Jade looked up as Beck walked into the RV, a plastic bowl in his hands. He handed it over as he sat down on the couch next to her. "You're not watching the show?"

"Didn't feel like it," Jade mumbled. She picked a cube of mango out of the bowl and popped it in her mouth.

Beck shrugged and took a piece for himself as he leaned back into the cushions. "Want to watch something else? A movie?"

"Not really."

"So what _do_ you want to do?"

Jade just shrugged and ate another piece of mango. Beck sighed. Jade avoided his eyes and stared at the carpet. Beck got up and crossed the small space to grab his laptop. Jade watched as he sat back down and opened it. "What are you doing?"

"Homework."

"You're gonna do homework when I'm sitting right here?"

"It's due Monday."

"I can't believe you're just going to do homework."

Beck slammed the laptop shut. "What do you expect me to do? You don't want to talk, you don't want to watch a movie, you don't want to do anything! I'm not gonna sit here in silence and try to guess what's wrong with you."

"So you think something's _wrong_ with me?"

"Obviously something is!"

Jade slammed the bowl of mango slices on top of his laptop. "Tell you what," she said getting to her feet. "You write your precious paper and I'll just go home!" Beck started to protest but Jade cut him off. "No. I wouldn't want to distract you from your _homework_." She strode to the door, stopped and walked right back. She grabbed one more piece of mango from the bowl, turned, and stormed out.

She heard her phone ringing as she drove home but didn't check it. She knew it would be Beck and she knew what it would say. Either he would try and continue the argument, or, more likely, try and apologize. She didn't really want to hear either. She didn't want him to say he was sorry or that he was just worried about her or the dozen other stock sentiments he had built up over the course of their relationship. Beck had been right with what he said in the coffee shop. It was always the same with them. It was usually a comforting thought to Jade that Beck would always be there. No matter how bad a fight was she could always walk up to him in the hallway and take his hand, or nudge him with her elbow, or anything really, and his arm would wrap around her shoulders. Or she could show up at his RV and there would be a tense moment or two, but then he would open his arms and tell her he loved her. But she wasn't comforted by it anymore. She was just kind of annoyed and resented him for going along with the charade. She almost thought that sometimes she picked fights with him just to see if he would stand up to her. To see if he would finally draw a line in the sand. Set a boundary. If he did, Jade wouldn't cross it. But he never would.

_Jade really only did stuff to get a reaction out of Tori. To get her to laugh, or smile, or even gasp in surprise because Jade had done something that Tori was too scared to do or just couldn't manage. Jade liked the way Tori would look at her after she jumped off a swing, or filled an entire jar with fireflies without any of them escaping, or stood up to bullies in the playground who made fun of Tori when she had to start wearing glasses. Jade liked the way Tori's eyes would go wide in awe. Almost like she couldn't believe Jade was real. Tori looked at Jade like she was brave. And amazing. Jade didn't think she was either, but sometimes, if Tori would smile at her a certain way, she almost believed that she could be._

As much as she had thought about Tori and her childhood in general the weekend before was how much she thought about her relationship with Beck the rest of Saturday night and Sunday. She erased every score she'd kept on him and made an entirely new list. Pro: Beck knew how to calm her down when she got angry or upset. Con: Beck, intentionally or not, was often the cause of her getting angry or upset. Pro: He was hot. Con: Almost every other girl in Hollywood seemed to think so, too. Pro: He would stop her from being too much of a gank. Con: He always seemed to expect that she _would_ be a gank. Jade had counted that one twice, and it was what had tipped him, however small the difference may have been, into the negative. She tried to figure out when his cons had become so obvious. Usually, if she tallied him up for fun, or to remind herself why she was going to his RV after a fight, he came out well by a large margin. She wondered when that had changed.

So when she walked into school on Monday morning and Beck was waiting by her locker with a large cup of coffee, Jade accepted it. She didn't say thanks, and he didn't seem to expect her to. He didn't throw his arm around her, or show any other sign that they had had a fight or were even dating. He just leaned against the wall while she got her books for her morning classes. The warning bell rang and they walked to Sikowitz's. Side by side, but not really together. They sat down in their usual seats, but there was space between their chairs that neither of them moved to eliminate. Sikowitz started up class by talking about the importance of playing someone in love and making it believable. Beck and some girl were called up to the stage to demonstrate the different ways a romantic scene could go. Beck was a bit more handsy with her than he should have been. As if he was saying to Jade, "See? This is how it should be. This _could_ be us." There was a kiss. Jade was bothered by it and shot the girl a glare, but she wasn't as upset as she normally would have been. She didn't storm the stage or threaten the girl's life, even though she cast a nervous glance at Jade after it was done. Beck took his seat again as Sikowitz called someone else up. He looked at Jade but she didn't return it. She could feel him getting upset next to her though.

The bell rang and she went to her next class, walking close to Andre through the halls. They sat at their usual table. Jade asked him in whispered voices how he was doing with their final project. He answered in hushed tones, pleasantly surprised that Jade was showing real interest. Jade tolerated math and only had to knock Rex off of Robbie's desk once. Robbie moved him to the other side after that and Rex stared at some boy instead of Jade. She took a nap in theater history because they had a substitute who had no idea what he was talking about. She sat with everyone at lunch and Beck sat next to her, even though they didn't speak directly to each other. She did join the conversation when Cat started talking about a new play that had opened that she wanted to see. It was agreed that everyone would go that weekend and Cat seemed ecstatic all the way through science. Beck didn't try to talk to her then, either. She went to screenwriting and sat in her usual seat. So did Tori. Jade didn't feel her eyes on her like she usually did and instead Jade kept stealing glances at the girl across the classroom.

She wanted her last two classes to drag on forever, because they were actually covering some interesting things. And also Jade really didn't want to deal with Beck asking her more questions. However, like it usually does when all you want is for time to slow down or stop altogether, the time flew by and she was walking back to her locker. And of course Beck had materialized against the wall next to it. "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong yet?" He asked as she opened her locker. "Nope," she answered and started emptying the contents of her bag. "Don't wanna talk about it."

"Jade," Beck started to say with a sigh, "you can't-"

"Oh yes I can," Jade interrupted. "Cat!" The petite girl stopped in the hallway, turning to look at Jade. "You want a ride home?"

If Cat was surprised at the offer, she didn't show it. Instead she clasped her hands together and shook her head. "I promised Tori and Andre I'd go with them to-"

"Sounds like fun," Jade said, grabbing Cat's elbow and walking her off down the hall.

"But I didn't even say where we were going."

"I don't really care." Jade marched Cat right up to Tori's locker, where Andre and Tori were laughing about something. "So where are we going?" Jade asked, letting go of Cat's arm.

"Uh," Andre was confused as he looked at Jade. "We," he said pointing to Cat, Tori and then himself, "were gonna go check out that new smoothie place."

"Sounds great. I'll drive."

Andre turned to Tori, who shrugged and said, "It's better than being stuck in a car with Trina."

"Okay," Andre nodded slowly, "is Beck comin?"

"He and I aren't talking," Jade said sharply, glancing at Tori. She didn't mean to, but she saw Tori's eyes narrow in confusion. Cat was fidgeting by her side and Jade was growing impatient. "So we going or what?"

"Yeah," Tori closed her locker. "I'll just text Trina and let her know about the change of plans."

"Wonderful," Jade mumbled, turning and walking away.

"Shotgun!" Cat cried out as they all followed after Jade.

Jade found herself relaxing as a different kind of tension settled over her during the car ride. Tori and Andre were chatting happily in the back of the car, and Cat was practically backwards in her own seat trying to join their conversation. Jade kept tugging on her shirt and arm though, trying to get her to sit properly. Cat would squirm under her seatbelt, trying to look at Tori behind her if the girl talked, and then Jade would give up the fight and let Cat do whatever she wanted, because Jade's attention was split between watching the road, wrangling Cat, and catching Tori's eyes in the rearview mirror, and it was too much. So Jade adjusted the mirror, effectively cutting off Tori as well as half the road behind them, and focused on driving, Andre giving her directions every so often.

Jade pulled into the supermarket parking lot next to the smoothie place while Cat complained about being stuck in the front while all the fun happened in the back. "You're the one who called shotgun, Little Red," Andre laughed. "It's your own fault if you were bored up there with mean ol' Jade."

"She's lucky I didn't throttle her with the seatbelt," Jade grumbled as they all climbed out of the car. Andre laughed and threw an arm around Cat, who was pouting, as they walked through the parking lot. They reached the sidewalk, Tori and Jade falling into step behind the others as they walked up to the smoothie place. Jade couldn't help but think that it had been Cat's idea to go in the first place, because the building itself was an alarming shade of pink, and she could see an array of neon colors inside through the large windows, which were covered by striped awnings.

"It doesn't look that bad," Tori said with a chuckle, nudging Jade's side with her elbow. Jade's glare turned from the building to Tori, who just shook her head and smiled as they all headed inside.

Jade's eyes burned from the bright colors. It was like the hallways of Hollywood Arts had melded with the color palette of the 80s and vomited all over the inside of the place. "Groovy Smoothie?" She sneered, eyeing the large sign hanging above the counter. "It rhymes. How clever."

"Isn't it pretty?" Of course Cat would love it. She looked like she was in heaven, eyes wide with wonder as she skipped towards the counter, Andre close behind. Tori passed by Jade, turning slightly to wiggle her eyebrows in excitement, and Jade followed them, her scowl slightly less intense than it had just been. Everything had ridiculous names and Jade glared as Cat ordered something called a tingleberry blitz. Tori got some blueberry concoction and Andre settled on strawberries, leaving Jade to order some sort of tropical fruit blast. They sat down at a table, purple and round, and Jade frowned as she tried to get comfortable in one of the strange seats. Cat gushed over everything, talking about how it was her new favorite place. They all agreed that the smoothies were actually pretty good, and then talk turned to Beck. Jade quickly cut off Cat's question and switched the subject. "Andre, have you settled on a song yet for class?"

He slurped his smoothie and shrugged. "I thought I did, but then I wrote a new one that I really like, so now I'm not sure."

"You're in that class, too?" Tori asked, turning to Jade. Jade just nodded and Tori smiled. "Have you written a song for it yet?"

"Even if I did you'll never hear it, Vega," Jade said, playing with the straw in her cup.

Tori sort of rolled her eyes and Andre let out a nervous laugh. "You better get started, Jade, the recorded copy's due next week." Jade waved his concern off and tuned out of the conversation as Cat started telling some story about her brother. She knew she had to work on it. It was the final project and she needed to pass the class. But she couldn't just sit down and have a song pour out of her like Andre could. The boy seemed to bang a new one out every other day. Maybe she'd do that when she got home. Hole up in her room and try to write something, anything, that she didn't absolutely hate. It would be a good distraction from thinking about Beck and whatever was going on between them. She felt a nudge in her side and looked up, catching Tori's eyes watching her with concern. Jade quickly looked away, trying to ignore the way her stomach flipped in her belly, and listened as the conversation switched to yet another topic and carried on.

Jade hadn't thought about the consequence of driving. It had seemed like an easy escape from Beck's prying and she had leapt at the opportunity… but then she was stuck giving everyone rides home. Cat had claimed the back seat after they left the smoothie place, not wanting to be left out of any conversation. And of course Andre had to sit with her, leaving Tori up front with Jade while she drove, or more accurately sat, through the afternoon traffic. Cat thought a good way to fight the boredom would be to play a game. So there they were, stuck behind a giant SUV pumping exhaust in their faces, trying to guess what Cat was thinking of.

"So it's smaller than a mustache," Andre said, confusion lacing his voice. Cat only giggled in response.

"Well she said it's not bigger than a mustache," Tori said slowly.

Jade sighed as the car moved forward a whole three inches. "Cat, are you thinking of a fucking mustache?"

There was a small gasp from Cat, followed by excited clapping. "Jade, you got it! That means it's your turn now!" Cat thumped the back of Jade's seat, causing her to groan. "Okay, I'll guess first," Cat chirped, bringing a finger to her lips in thought. "Is it fluffy?"

"God, no."

"Is it shiny?"

"Cat, you're not supposed to guess twice. But yes."

"Is it dangerous?" Tori asked.

"In my hands? Yes."

"Scissors," Andre said quickly.

"What a surprise. You guessed right." Jade eased off the brake and the car crept forward.

"You always think of scissors," Andre pointed out. The car was silent as he tried to think of something, but he just sighed. "I can't think of anything. Tori, you go."

Tori hummed while she thought, tapping her chin, before her face lit up a moment later. "Okay, got it. Guess away."

"Is it a pony?" Cat gasped.

"What?" Tori turned her head, looking over her shoulder at Cat. "No, it's not a pony."

Andre chuckled before guessing. "Is it any sort of animal?"

Tori's face scrunched up. "Yeah, sort of," she trailed off, causing Jade to glance at her. Tori's lips were curled up in a mischievous grin.

Jade swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly feeling extremely dry. "Is it a living thing?"

Tori's grin got even wider. "No."

Andre and Cat were conferring in the backseat. Tori had turned in her seat to watch them as they tried to guess. Jade was staring intently at the SUV in front of them as it crawled through the traffic light. She had enough room to make the turn, and she probably took it a bit harder than she should have, because Cat squeaked as the car straightened out. "Sorry, kitten," she said, the nickname almost an instinct reaction whenever she upset Cat.

"Kitten?" Tori asked with a hint of amusement.

"Shut it, Vega," Jade growled. She felt Cat pat her head, though, and Jade's death grip on the steering wheel loosened a bit. The small smirk never slipped from Tori's face for the rest of the drive.

Eventually Jade made it home, much less gas in her car and far less frustration in her mind. Beck had texted her again, undoubtedly to try and talk, but she deleted the message without reading a word. She walked in her house, closing the door behind her, and quickly made her way upstairs. Her mother's car hadn't been in the driveway, so Jade figured she was still at work, big surprise. It didn't mean that Jade wanted to be downstairs when she did get home, so she went to her room, shutting and locking her door behind her. She dropped her bag on the floor and sat on the edge of her bed. The afternoon had been… fun. Sure, the traffic sucked, and the game Cat made them play was lame, just like every other time she insisted on playing, but overall it hadn't been bad. She liked Andre, at least he wasn't as annoying as Robbie or as exhausting as Cat, and Tori… Well, Jade thought as she stood up and grabbed her bag, Tori felt normal. It felt normal to have her there. Like there was some piece of the puzzle that was the way Jade saw their group that hadn't been filled until Tori stepped into the picture. She fit.

A burst of air erupted from Jade's lungs as she fell onto her bed, her bag and arm dangling over the edge. It was weird, how natural it felt. How well they all worked together. Someone shouldn't be able to just slide into the puzzle so easily. Jade herself had pushed other people's edges, bending and molding until they all fit together and made sense. And then Tori just eased her way into a gap that Jade didn't even know existed. Like she was always meant to be there. Like Jade's mind had purposefully left a space where it knew Tori belonged. Jade huffed and pulled her bag onto her bed, sitting up slightly. She felt dumb thinking things like that. People didn't naturally fit together. There wasn't magic in rainbows. Fireflies were just bugs and science explained their glow.

So Jade started on her homework. Or tried to, since her eyes wouldn't focus on the words in front of her and her hand seemed disconnected from her mind as it travelled across the page in her notebook. Before she knew it, she had abandoned any actual school work and just let her hand do whatever it wanted. Which, apparently, was to write. A lot. She'd turned the page and flipped her notebook over several times before she even thought to read what she had written. And then she frowned, let out a groan of frustration, and threw the notebook across her room.

_Jade really didn't want to get her tonsils taken out. She wanted to keep everything that was inside of her actually inside her. But her mother and her doctor had insisted, and so she had to spend the night at the hospital, waking up only once to vomit. It hurt, her throat still raw from the surgery. But the next morning the doctor had come in with a small cup in his hand, two objects bobbing around in the liquid inside. "Look what we took out of you!" He seemed so excited about it. Like he was showing off a prize that he had won at Jade's expense. She didn't like him having some part of her, however small or unimportant it was, so she snuck the cup out of the hospital when she left. Tori had been worried, of course, because all she knew was that her best friend needed surgery. And even though Mrs. Vega assured Tori that Jade would be fine, that it was a normal procedure, Tori was still waiting outside for Jade to get home. But Jade couldn't talk, and her mom had hurried her inside, and Tori sulked back into her own house and up to her room. And a few minutes later, something hit her window. Tori crossed her room, confusion written all over her face. But she saw Jade in her own room, gesturing for Tori to open the window. So Tori did, and Jade threw her a paper plane. It was the first one, written out of necessity because Jade couldn't talk, but it certainly wasn't the last._

**A/N My spell check keeps trying to change the name Tori to Torus. I don't know why, but if you ever see Torus randomly pop up, it's my computer's fault, not mine.**

**And I'm not sure when the next update will be, since it's a holiday and there are all sorts of family things happening that I'm required to attend. But I'll try to get something written. Oh, and happy Easter/Passover/Normal Weekend/whatever your little heart desires.**

**As always, thank you for the reviews and alerts and favorites and things. Feel free to go crazy with the clickable things at the bottom of the screen there =)  
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	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: You know how it goes. I don't own nothin'.**

Tori couldn't help but worry. It had been weird the past few days. Jade and Beck hadn't been talking. To each other, or to anyone else really. Jade sometimes joined the conversation, but she seemed to be lost inside her own head. And Beck… well, Beck just watched Jade, his eyebrows drawing together and the corner of his mouth turning down. Tori had asked Andre about it, but he shrugged it off. "This is what they do. They fight, Jade gives Beck the cold shoulder, and then all the sudden they're runnin' hot again." Cat had said almost the same thing, only not quite as articulate and there had been a rant about the time her brother ran hot and it turned out he was on fire, but it seemed that Tori was the only one besides Jade or Beck who thought anything was wrong. Everyone just carried on like everything was normal, hoping that soon enough it would be. But sometimes Tori caught Jade just looking at her. Across the table at lunch, down the hall when they were both at their lockers, all the time in Sikowitz's class and their screenwriting one. If Tori ever caught her eyes, Jade would slap a bored, uninterested look on her face and turn away, like she hadn't meant for her eyes to land on Tori. It was confusing, certainly, but Tori couldn't really complain. If it meant that she might have a shot at having Jade in her life again, even as a shadow of the friend she used to be, then Tori was all for it. She'd seen when Jade cracked, when the truth broke through whatever mask of lies Jade was hiding behind. Even if it was only for a minute, a question asked while they were tucked away on the swings in the park or a slip of the tongue when Jade had called Cat 'kitten', it showed. Tori knew that Jade, _her_ Jade, was still there. And she was determined to wait as long as she had to until the entire mask slipped away.

What Tori did mind, though, was how Beck started to look at her. It was just small glances at first. Across the lunch table or in class. But then Beck started following Jade's gaze, and Tori was always at the end of it. And his head would tip ever so slightly to the side and his eyes would narrow just a fraction of an inch, like he wasn't sure what he was looking at. And it bothered her because, while Jade was so stuck in her head that her eyes just kind of landed on Tori, Beck's gaze was always questioning. Like he was trying to figure out what was going on in Jade's head and Tori was somehow key to that. So when Beck approached her between classes on Thursday, Tori kind of figured what he was going to say.

"I know this might be weird," he started, leaning against the locker next to hers, "but like, you and Jade aren't close, right?"

Tori shrugged in response as she opened her locker. "She's being friendlier, if you can call it that, but we're not close, no."

Beck nodded. "Yeah, I didn't think so. But the way she looks at you sometimes," he trailed off, his eyes settling on the contents of Tori's locker.

"I didn't think she looked at me that much if she could help it," Tori said with a rather forced laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

"That's the thing." Beck stood upright and Tori was fully aware of just how tired his eyes looked. "I don't think she _can_ help it."

Tori sighed and turned away from her locker to look at him. "Look, Beck, I'm sorry if things are kinda weird between you guys, but I don't know what to tell you. Maybe you could ask Cat? She and Jade seem pretty tight, right?"

Beck lifted one shoulder and Tori watched as it dropped in defeat. "Yeah. Maybe. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into it."

"No," Tori said, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm, "you didn't. Don't worry. I'm sure Jade will come around eventually and you guys'll be good as new." She patted his arm awkwardly. She didn't even believe what she had just said, and it was obvious Beck didn't either. He just sort of nodded his head and wandered away as the warning bell rang for their next class. "Shoot," Tori said to herself, hurrying up to grab her books before slamming her locker shut. She made it to screenwriting just as the bell rang. "Close call, Tori. Take your seat," the teacher said as Tori gave a curt nod and scurried to her desk. She slid into her seat, trying as discreetly as possible to look at Jade. She didn't have to look very hard, because Jade was watching her, that same contemplative, almost distant, look in her eyes that she had had all week. Jade gave a slight shake of her head and looked to the front of the room. Tori wasn't sure if Jade was shaking her head at her, or just to clear her mind, but throughout class she caught the girl's eyes several more times.

"Jade!" Tori called, hurrying through the hallway. Jade had practically run from the class just like she always did, and left Tori gasping in her dust.

"What?" Jade asked in a bored voice, turning around when Tori caught up to her.

"I, uh, finished the first draft of that paper," Tori said. "If you give me your email I'll send it to you when I get home."

Jade's brow furrowed and they stood in silence for a moment before Jade gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head. She reached into her bag and pulled out a pen as Tori's eyes wandered to the students around them. Jade grabbed Tori's left arm and scribbled out her email across Tori's skin. "It better not be a piece of shit, Vega," Jade said with a pointed click of her pen before turning and walking away. Tori stared at the letters on her forearm. She blinked slowly and her arm dropped back to her side. Her arm felt like it was on fire. Like the ink had burned the letters into her and Jade's fingers had branded her skin. The hallway had emptied around her and she forced her feet to move as the bell rang, telling her she was late for her next class.

Her vocal teacher looked angry but said she would let it slide when Tori explained that she was late because she had been discussing a paper for another class. Her teacher seemed to think Tori had been talking to a teacher, and Tori didn't correct her. Instead she just took her seat, getting a whispered "Nice tattoo" from Andre. She looked at him a bit confused, and he just pointed to her arm with a grin. "Yeah, you know me. Always the rebel," Tori murmured, earning a laugh from him. She kept her forearm pressed against her stomach for the rest of the day, though.

She was at her locker, sorting through her books and waiting for Trina before she saw Jade again. And even then it was quick. Tori reached up to put a book in her locker and Jade walked by. "Damn, Vega, don't you ever shower?" Tori looked confused for a moment and then realized that the ink was still on display. She quickly lowered her arm, but Jade was already gone. A minute later Trina came up to her, talking away even though Tori wasn't listening or acknowledging her at all. Trina started walking when Tori did, seeming to be on auto-pilot as Tori half led her to the parking lot. And then they were in the car and Trina was singing, like she always did when she was in a vehicle. And then a commercial came on the radio and Trina started switching the station, looking for something good. "Eww, Tori, do you have a rash?"

"Huh?" Tori asked, snapping out of her daze.

"You keep touching your arm. Are you getting a rash?" Trina's attention was divided between the road and the radio display. "Because, if you are, you're so not allowed in my car anymore."

"What? No, Trina." Tori turned towards the window, trying to block her arm from her sister's view. Her fingers twitched across her skin, tracing the ink that was still there.

Tori was out of the car and inside the house before Trina had even managed to unbuckle her seatbelt. Tori went straight to her room, barely shoving a foot out to close her door in her haste. She threw her bag on her bed, the rest of her body following right after, and she threw open the top of her laptop that was sitting by her pillows. The screen came to life and Tori entered her password, a necessity with a sister as unconcerned with privacy as Trina was, and clicked on her web browser. She logged into her email, saw a few new messages and notifications from The Slap in her inbox, but ignored them as she started a new draft.

Tori probably wrote and deleted a hundred different emails in her search of what to say. She knew what she should say. _Hey, Jade, here's the report. Lemme know how your draft goes_. And that should be it. But even though her brain was telling her fingers to type that, Tori's hands kept getting sidetracked. Hitting keys and typing out words and sentences that had absolutely no place in an email about school work. After all, Jade probably didn't care that Tori could remember the exact date of when they first camped out in her backyard (July 28th) or what they ate for dinner the first time Jade ever slept over at her house (spaghetti, how exciting.) Tori groaned, forced her fingers to obey her conscious mind, attached the document, and hit send. And then she made the mistake of looking at her arm.

She bolted out of bed, threw open her door, and booked it to the bathroom down the hall. She threw the tap on and shoved her hand under the water, scrubbing viciously at the ink. Nothing happened. She grabbed for the soap, filled her palm with the liquid, and resumed scrubbing. Still nothing. After several minutes of scrubbing and basically clawing at the ink with her nails, Tori had only gotten it to fade a little and now her skin was red. There was a knock at the door and then Trina's head popping into the bathroom. "Are you done taking a bath in the sink? I gotta waz." Tori kicked at the door, earning a scream of surprise in return. She turned back to the sink and shut off the faucet, still staring at her arm. Maybe Jade actually _had_ tattooed her. No, she thought as she grabbed a towel, that was ridiculous. She dried her arm and hands off, sighing heavily as she dropped the towel on the edge of the counter.

_Tori remembered how it felt the first time she was alone in the house. She was ten, and her mom was running late from work. Trina had been kept after school in detention for talking too much during class. And Tori and Jade were curled up on the couch, leaning against one another with one eye on the front door while they watched tv. Okay, she wasn't really alone since Jade was there, but it was just the two of them, and to Tori, that counted as alone. Because there wasn't any Trina to annoy them or any parents to check up on them. It was Tori and her best friend watching a movie that Mrs. Vega probably wouldn't have wanted them to watch if she had been home. But she wasn't. So they did. And Tori's mouth fell open and Jade's eyes grew wide as the man on screen took off his shirt and the woman kissed him. And then, because they were ten, they laughed and said it was gross and changed the channel. But that one kiss stayed in Tori's mind. The way the music swelled in the background and how the two people kissing seemed to merge into one being. She wanted a kiss like that, and she was determined to get it one day._

Tori had to wear a long sleeved shirt on Friday. She had tried, with renewed vigor that morning, to get rid of the mark Jade had left on her arm. Because that's what it was. It was a black fire that had scorched Tori and wouldn't go away. But she had barely made it fade any more than it was the night before. And Tori thought that maybe Jade had meant to do that, because Jade took one glance at Tori's sleeve and smirked. No one else said anything, because it was just a shirt and plenty of people had long sleeves, or jackets, but Jade seemed to find it amusing. Tori couldn't help but feel like the spark in Jade's eyes was a result of the knowledge that Tori couldn't erase her from her skin. Because Tori could feel Jade on her arm all day long.

"I like your shirt, Tori," Cat said as Tori sat down at the lunch table.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tori asked, the slightest hint of desperation creeping into her voice.

"I think it means she likes your shirt," Andre stated, an eyebrow arched in confusion.

Okay. Or maybe Tori was reading too much into it and needed to chill. "A little on edge are we, Vega?" Jade asked, mirth in her voice and that smirk on her face.

"No," Tori tried to defend herself, "I just didn't sleep well, is all."

"_Oh, I'm just the most exhausted little thing today! Someone assist me, I'm overcome with the vapors!_"

"I don't talk like that! And what does that even mean?"

"It means you need to calm down, girl," Andre said, patting her arm gently. Tori huffed and squirmed in her seat, only settling down when she saw the smirk on Jade's face slip and shatter on the table. Jade's eyes were hard, staring at something behind Andre. Or someone, Tori corrected herself as she turned her head and saw Beck and Robbie walking towards them. Cat glanced at Jade and scooted, the tiniest amount, closer to her. Beck set his tray down between Cat and Andre, and then lowered himself onto the bench while Robbie took up the seat between Tori and Jade. There was a ripple through the group. An unspoken agreement of some sort and Cat was the first to talk, although Tori didn't really pay attention. Instead she looked at Cat but watched Jade, seeing the way her shoulders had fallen and she poked at her food without actually taking an interest in it. Had they broken up? She hadn't heard anything. Either shouting in the halls or rumors from other students. Or even from Cat and Andre. Or Beck, himself, during classes. Although, thinking about it, Tori had noticed that Jade didn't sit next to Beck during Sikowitz's. And he did seem unusually quiet all morning. Andre seemed to be reading her mind, or maybe the confusion written across her face, because he touched her hand and when she looked at him, his eyes said, very clearly, not to talk about it. He had nothing to worry about with that one.

"So you're all still coming to the play tomorrow, right?" Cat asked, bringing Tori's focus back to the present. "Because you all promised and I'm really excited about it." Cat's comment seemed to be directed at Jade and Beck, because she glanced at them nervously.

"We'll all still go, Cat," Jade said without looking up from her lunch. Beck gave a grunt of assent and Cat relaxed, giving them both a small smile that neither of them saw. Tori tried to give Cat a reassuring smile when she caught her eye.

Lunch was pretty strained, with everyone except Beck and Jade trying to make pleasant conversation. Wallpapering over the awkward and hoping for the best. There were gaps in the panels, though, and it still showed through. Tori was kind of glad when it was over and they all headed to their next class. She walked with Robbie and they took their usual seats next to each other. "If you make me go to that play tomorrow, I will kill you," Rex said, face turned to Robbie.

"Did Jade and Beck break up?" Tori blurted.

Puppet and master, although Robbie was hardly Rex's _master_, turned and looked at her. "Aren't you a little genius," Rex said.

"They had a big fight last night," Robbie said as the desks filled up around them. "They aren't really saying anything about it, but I overheard Beck telling Andre this morning."

"Overheard? More like eavesdropped," Rex said before Robbie clamped a hand over his mouth.

Tori nodded and turned in her desk as the teacher walked in. So Beck had told Andre, and Jade must have told Cat, because it was obvious that Cat knew. But if Robbie had only heard Beck telling Andre that they had a fight, then maybe they hadn't broken up? Although, things had obviously been strained between them all week, so maybe they had? Tori wasn't sure why it was bothering her so much. Sure, they were her friends and she cared about them, but she shouldn't have the _need_ to know. Tori was vaguely aware of her fingers tracing patterns against the sleeve of her left arm. She yanked her hand away roughly, hitting her elbow on the edge of the desk behind her and pain shot through her arm. "Shit!"

"Tori!" The teacher's voice was a surprised gasp. "Did you- you just- Tori!"

"I'm sorry! I hit my elbow!" Tori said quickly, hoping that she wasn't about to get into too much trouble. The teacher just stared at her, mouth hanging open in shock. "Detention?" Tori asked, rubbing her elbow.

"Seems fitting," the teacher said sharply, opening one of her drawers and pulling out a piece of pink paper. The class was silent as she grabbed a pen and filled it out then walked over and placed it on Tori's desk. "I'll be giving a copy to the office, so don't even think about skipping." Robbie let out a low whistle as the teacher returned to the front of the class.

"Oh, can it, Shapiro," Tori groaned, grabbing the paper and bending over to shove it in her bag.

Tori felt like a criminal for the rest of class. The teacher kept shooting her dirty glances like she was going to break out in a string of expletives at any moment. Other students were turning around to openly stare at her, some even nodding like they were impressed, which Tori wasn't proud of. She was all too glad when the bell rang and left as quickly as she could. She was one of the first to arrive to screenwriting, as usual, and took her normal desk by the window. She opened her bag and pulled out her notebook, setting it down. She turned to grab her book, but another hand had beaten her and was slowly withdrawing from her bag. Tori's eyes grew wide as Jade pulled out her detention slip. "My my," Jade said, turning so her body was between Tori and the paper. "What do we have here?"

"Give it back."

"Using profanity in the classroom?" Jade spun around, her eyebrow arched. Tori noticed how the sun shining through the window hit the small piercing in Jade's eyebrow. It also made her eyes look an unnatural shade of blue, almost green. "What did you say, Vega?"

"Give it back, Jade," Tori sighed, snatching for the paper.

Jade raised her hand, holding the paper out of Tori's reach. She tilted her head to the side, giving Tori an appraising look. Slowly her hand lowered and Tori grabbed the detention slip back, quickly shoving it into her bag. "I didn't think you had it in you." Jade's voice was soft and… almost disappointed? Tori's eyes snapped up and Jade had that distant look again. "I guess anyone can surprise you." It was quiet, probably a thought spoken aloud, but Tori felt something run down her spine. Jade shook her head and walked away. But she didn't take her normal desk, even though it was empty. She was one row over from where she usually sat. One row closer to Tori. Tori tried not to think about what that might mean. She kind of failed.

Andre teased her all through their vocal class. Apparently word had spread that Tori Vega had gotten detention. She didn't understand why that was such a surprise, or why so many students seemed to care, but apparently they did. "First the tattoo and now cussing at a teacher," Andre said with a sigh as he turned to Cat. "We better start savin' up some money for her bail." Cat giggled and Tori smacked his arm, earning a disapproving glare from their teacher, who was working with a student. "You better be careful, Tori," Cat said, leaning across Andre. "You might get another detention."

"Shut up," Tori whined, covering her face with her hands.

Luckily there wasn't too much else said about it. Tori made it through last period with only one boy leaning across his desk to give her a thumbs up, and she only rolled her eyes and gestured for him to sit back down. But then the bell rang, and she trudged through the hallways, trying to delay the inevitable. Trina cornered her near her locker and asked if it was true. Tori said it was and Trina said that sucked but she wasn't waiting around for an hour and Tori would have to take the bus home. Trina did give her some money, but it was only thirty-seven cents, which wouldn't get her very far. Tori said bye to Cat when they passed in the hall and headed off to the classroom written on that stupid pink paper. Tori walked in and saw a teacher sitting at a desk, his feet propped up on its edge. "Is this detention?"

"It certainly is," he said, holding out a hand and dropping his feet to the floor. Tori handed him the paper and he pointed to the room while he read it. "Take a seat, Vega." Tori groaned and dragged her feet down one of the aisles, dropping into a random desk. "Whoa," the teacher said, looking up at her. "You cussed out a teacher?"

Tori's mouth fell open. "I did not!"

"Alright, calm your britches, it was just a question," he said with a chuckle, making a note on the attendance sheet. Tori folded her arms as a couple of students came in. One more girl walked in, handed him her slip and strolled to the back of the class like she owned the room. Tori cocked an eyebrow as the teacher stood up and closed the door. "Okay, everyone's here. You're not supposed to do anything except sit there and think about what you've done and feel bad about it, but that's boring. So be productive. Do some homework. Text your friends. Whatever your little hearts desire! Just don't make noise." Who was this guy? He was worse than Sikowitz. Tori watched him sit back down, kicking his feet up again, and sighed. She had an hour of detention and then a very long bus ride that meant she wouldn't get home any time soon. So she opened her bag and figured she better get started on her homework.

She didn't have a lot of work to do, so there was still about twenty minutes left when she packed up her things. Seeing the other students all had their phones out, Tori shrugged and pulled her own out of her bag. She pulled up the Slap, checking her notifications. Andre and Cat had both left comments telling her not to turn into a delinquent. Rex had commented with 'too late'. Beck had changed his relationship status. Wait, what? Tori did a double take. There, official and for the entire school to see, was _Beck Oliver: Not in a relationship_. And right below it, _Jade West: Not in a relationship_. Tori's heart did a weird thing. It half-flipped, realized what it was doing and tried to stop itself. It just resulted in a strange thud and some twitching in her chest. About fifty people had liked each status. Tori clicked, scrolling through the list. Of course Beck's was entirely girls, and Tori recognized a few names of people that had been obvious about their crushes on Beck for some time. Then she went back and clicked on Jade's. Tori wasn't sure what it meant that Jade's was a mix of boys and girls. Probably nothing, she told herself as she closed the app and put her phone away. She couldn't stop her eyes from drifting to her arm, though.

_Tori liked hugs. They could cheer her up if she was sad, they could annoy Trina if she timed them right, they told her that her mom and dad loved her. They could mean all sorts of things. 'I love you' or 'I'm glad we're friends or 'you're my sister and we kind of have to hug it out and make up since I may or may not have ruined your favorite sweater by throwing it in the pool'. Hugs were versatile, and Tori liked that about them. But her favorite hugs, even more than the ones her mom gave her when she was scared or the excited ones she would give everyone on their birthday, were the ones from Jade. Because Jade wasn't a hugger. And if someone who doesn't like hugs gives you one, you'd better appreciate it. Tori knew that. She knew that Jade would just pat her back or dodge Tori's arms altogether if Tori tried to hug her. So whenever Jade would actually hug Tori back, which wasn't often, Tori cherished it. Jade's hugs were special. It was almost precious when Jade would wrap her arms around Tori and hold her back. Even though Tori always held on too long and Jade would start squeezing the air from her lungs to get her to let go. Tori only did that because she never knew when the next one would be, and she wanted to hold on forever._

Tori had planned to tell her parents about the detention, she really did. But they weren't there when she finally got home. So she made herself a snack and lied down on the couch to watch tv. She didn't mean to fall asleep watching an old sitcom, and she certainly didn't expect Trina and her parents to just leave her there all night. But by the time she was woken up Saturday morning by her dad making some sort of protein shake in the kitchen, it had slipped her mind. "Good morning!" Her dad shouted to be heard over the blender as Tori wandered out to stand next to him. "Sleep well?" His grin was much too chipper for so early in the morning.

Tori forced a sarcastic smile in return and pointed at the blender. "Do you have to do that so loudly?"

"Sorry, kiddo, can't hear you!" Tori rolled her eyes and leaned her hip against the counter, waiting for the noise to die down. Her dad chuckled to himself as he shut the blender off. "So, any big plans for the day?"

Tori shrugged, folding her arms across her stomach. "My friend Cat got tickets for some new play, but that's not until later." Her dad nodded, reaching up to grab a plastic cup from one of the cabinets. "Are you going into work today?"

"Yeah, we're all backed up with paperwork and the Captain wants everyone in to try and clear some of it out," he said, taking the top off the blender and filling the cup.

"Sounds exciting," Tori stated, taking the blender from him and putting it in the sink.

"Being a cop is thrilling stuff," he said with a chuckle. "Do you need money for that play thing?" He asked, bringing the cup to his mouth to take a sip.

"Maybe a couple bucks if we go for food or something after?" Tori said hopefully. Her dad nodded and put his cup down. "Oh, and maybe some money to chip in for gas. I think Andre is picking everyone up." Her dad narrowed his eyes as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. "And maybe, if we-"

"Tell ya what," he said, opening his wallet and holding it out. "How about you just take whatever you want and try to get Trina out of the house at some point, okay?"

Tori grinned and pulled a few bills out of his wallet. "Thanks, dad."

"Yeah yeah," he said as she hugged him quickly. "Now get outta here, you're wrinkling my shirt."

Tori laughed and practically skipped off upstairs to her room. She tossed the money on her bedside table and picked up her phone. She'd gotten a text the night before from Cat, making sure she was still going to the play, and one from Andre making sure she had survived detention. She glanced at the time, seeing that it wasn't too early, and sent off replies to both. She put her phone back down and headed over to her dresser. She figured she might as well take a shower before Trina woke up and used all the hot water. So, with a handful of clothes, she headed off to the bathroom.

She took longer than she expected, most of her time in the shower spent trying to scrub the ink from her arm. She actually managed to get most of it off. There was only a hint of it left, like a shadow that wouldn't go away no matter how she moved her arm. That was good enough for her, considering she'd been marked for two days. It would fade or get washed off completely soon enough. Tori cocked her head to the side. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, which was weird. She'd… not liked it, exactly, but… well, maybe she had liked it a little bit. This little reminder on her arm that Jade was there. Back in her life, in whatever capacity it was. Friends? Almost-friends? People who hung out with the same people? Tori didn't know, exactly, but it didn't matter. Because every day that went by, Tori knew she was one step closer to her goal, whatever that goal had morphed into and become. Bits of the Jade that Tori knew were showing. That, she thought proudly as she headed back to her room, was progress. And you didn't stop what you were doing if you were making progress.

The morning passed by pretty lazily. The hands on her clock were just strolling around the little face they were stuck to. Tori read for a bit, checked her email and chatted with Cat online, convinced Trina to go for lunch with the two of them. All in all, it wasn't a bad way to spend a Saturday morning. Although she had to try and rush Trina into getting ready when she realized they were supposed to be meeting Cat in fifteen minutes at a place that was almost thirty away. She sent Cat an apology, saying they would be late while Trina found the perfect outfit to wear. Cat wasn't bothered, replying with a simple 'kay kay'. Tori got Trina out the door, earning a grateful smile from her mom on the way out. Trina refused to show up looking like 'some cheap Northridge girl' and insisted on doing her make up while driving. Tori thought she was going to die, but they made it to the restaurant in one piece. Cat was sitting at a table outside by herself, drinking a giant milkshake through a long straw. She waved as they walked up and joined her. Tori asked if she was excited about the play and Cat couldn't sit still while she talked about it. "Wait, what play?" Trina had interrupted, her mouth full of cheeseburger.

That set Cat off on a ramble about the play, and Tori laughed at Trina's face, her eyes following Cat's lips like if she stared hard enough the words coming from them would slow down and she could understand them. It didn't happen and Trina actually looked dizzy when Cat finished talking. Tori just patted her on the back and Cat smiled, bouncing slightly in her seat. Tori got a text from Andre asking what she was up to. "Oh, invite him! We can all get ice cream!" Cat had squealed, clamping her own hands over her mouth in excitement.

Trina huffed, pushing her empty plate away from her. "I'm bored, Tori."

Tori sent her response to Andre and looked at her sister. "You don't want ice cream?"

"I'm full."

"Not even if it's chocolate with hot fudge and whipped cream and a cherry on top?"

"Oh, that sounds so good! Can I have some?"

"Cat, you're the one who suggested ice cream," Tori said with a smile.

"Oh, right."

"I'm bored. I wanna go shopping." Trina grabbed her purse and stood up.

"Trina!" Tori couldn't believe her sister sometimes. She shoved her phone back into the pocket of her jeans and watched her sister inch away from the table.

"What? Andre's coming, he has a car, you'll be fine," Trina said dismissively, giving Cat a small wave before turning and leaving.

Tori gaped as her sister strolled off down the sidewalk. "She didn't even leave money for her burger." She turned back to Cat, who shrugged and leaned forward, capturing her straw in her mouth. Tori shook her head and picked at the remnants of her own lunch as Cat's phone rang. She picked it up off the table, tilting her head as she looked at the screen.

"It's Jade," Cat said, tapping away at the screen.

"Oh?" Tori noticed, very much so, how her heartbeat picked up a little. "What'd she say?"

"She wants to know what time the play is. She's driving herself," Cat said, typing a bit more before putting her phone down. "I guess she doesn't want to be in the car with Beck."

"Yeah, I saw on the Slap that they broke up. Do you know what happened?"

Cat's head pulled back a little, a small crease appearing between her eyebrows. "She didn't really say. Just that they had a big fight, but it didn't matter anyway because they've been having trouble lately."

"I kinda noticed that," Tori sighed. "Is she upset about it?"

Cat shook her head slowly. "Not really. But, she's Jade, so she might be?" Cat offered with a shrug.

"That's a very definitive answer, Cat," Tori said with a chuckle. Cat giggled and shrugged again and Tori shook her head with a smile.

Andre arrived not too much later. He said that he had already been on the way to Tori's house when she told him to come here, so he just changed direction. "That's a little creepy, dude," Tori laughed. "You were just gonna, like, show up at my house uninvited?"

"Listen, I had to help my grandma sew labels into her underwear this morning. Do you know what that does to a man? I needed to get out of there, Tori." Andre actually shuddered and Tori almost felt bad for him. She patted his arm sympathetically as the waiter came up to their table. Cat and Tori ordered ice cream, and Andre got some real food. They talked for a bit about Jade and Beck, Andre actually seeming surprised that this time the break up seemed real. Apparently Beck had told him almost exactly what Jade had told Cat. Andre shrugged, saying that it was their business and they could keep the details to themselves if they wanted. Tori couldn't help the twinge of annoyance that ran through her. She seemed to be the only one who wanted to know _why_ and everyone else was just concerned that the whole group dynamic wasn't thrown off too much because of it.

They talked and ate, Cat bouncing continuously as she shoveled ice cream into her mouth. The sugar rush seemed to amplify her bubbly personality and she would giggle at any and every little thing Tori or Andre said. Andre pointed an accusing finger in Tori's face with a grumbled "This is all your fault." Tori just nodded her head and Cat got blurry around the edges from vibrating with so much energy. Once they'd finished and paid, Tori having to cover Trina's part of the bill, they decided to walk around some of the shops nearby for a bit. But Cat just sort of ran up and down the sidewalk pointing at random store fronts while Andre gestured for Tori to collect their friend with a reiterated "This is your fault."

"I'm so excited about the play. I'm so glad you guys are coming. It's gonna be awesome, I can't wait!" Cat barely breathed as words poured out of her. Tori and Andre had managed to wrangle her into the back of his car. It took some effort, and Cat decided to turn it into a game at one point, but they had gotten her buckled up and bouncing in her seat as they drove to pick up first Robbie and then Beck. "You really shouldn't let her eat ice cream," Andre mumbled, leaning over while Cat chattered away in the back. Tori nodded, a small groan escaping from her. "I get that now."

Tori sent Robbie a text when they were turning down his street, but he was already waiting on the sidewalk in front of his house when they pulled up. "Where's Rex?" Andre asked as Robbie climbed in next to Cat.

"He didn't want to come," Robbie sighed as he buckled up. Tori shot him a sympathetic look. He seemed a little lost without his puppet.

"I like your jacket," Cat said, her eyes wide as her fingers toyed with the fabric of his sleeve.

"Thanks," Robbie said, seeming to cheer up. "My grandmother bought it for me." Cat giggled and turned to look out the window as they drove away.

Tori started getting anxious. She wasn't sure why. They had picked up Beck and then headed off towards the theater. They were actually making pretty good time, considering it was Saturday and the weather was nice and the streets were bustling with early evening traffic. But they were going at a pretty steady pace. It wasn't nearly fast enough for Tori, though, and she couldn't figure out why. Cat had started up a game, like she usually did, and Tori half listened as everyone talked around her. Some sort of argument broke out in the back seat and Andre seized the distraction. "You alright?" he asked, glancing at Tori before looking back to the road.

"Yeah, why?" She sounded a bit offended, her head snapping to the side to look at him.

"You seem a little tense," Andre pointed out in a tone of voice that said Tori had just proven him right. "You nervous about something?"

"No," Tori denied all too quickly.

"Mmhmm. Sure." Andre shot her a disbelieving look and straightened up in his seat.

"You guys!" Cat shouted from the back seat. "Which is better: bananas or strawberries?"

"Both of 'em together," Andre answered. And just like that, he was back to normal, leaving a slightly confused Tori to slouch in her seat.

Jade was already waiting outside the theater when they all walked over from where they had parked. Cat bounded down the sidewalk in front of the others and threw herself on top of Jade, causing the taller girl to stumble backwards. Jade lifted her arms in the air as Cat wrapped her up in a hug. "Who gave Cat sugar?" Jade demanded, trying to pry the tiny redhead off of her. Tori shyly raised a hand. "Nice one, Vega," Jade spat. Cat squeaked as Jade manhandled her away towards the ticket booth, the others following close behind.

Cat picked up the tickets, bouncing with excitement. "You guys are the best. I'm so excited." She sort of sandwiched herself between Andre and Beck, leaving Robbie looking a little crestfallen beside Andre as they headed into the lobby. Tori wasn't sure if she had gravitated towards Jade, or the other way around, but she wasn't really complaining as they fell into step a few paces behind the group. Tori couldn't help but notice how Jade's fingers curled around the cuff of her leather jacket, like she needed something to hold on to. Or how the jacket curved perfectly over Jade's shoulders, the seams resting like they were stitched specifically for her. Or how the bright blue streaks tucked away in her hair only served to highlight the color of Jade's eyes and oh my god, Tori thought as she quickly looked away. "See somethin' you like, Vega?" Jade's voice was like a current, creeping up Tori's legs and inching up her spine, pulling Tori's eyes toward Jade's lips, curled in a smirk, where it had originated.

"I like your jacket," Tori said, pointing for emphasis. The group stopped outside the theater doors while an usher checked the tickets in Cat's hands. Jade's eyebrow arched high and Tori swallowed. The usher opened the door and gestured them all inside. Jade gave Tori one last look, the hint of a wink ghosting across her face, and then Tori was tripping over her own feet as she tried to remember how to walk.

They went up a staircase, and then down a small hall, and then through another door where another usher checked their tickets and showed them all to their seats. Tori had fallen behind the group and was the last one to slip into the aisle. Of course Jade was right in front of her, which meant that when Tori sat down, of course her left arm would brush against Jade's right. And of course Tori's skin chose that moment to catch fire. Tori felt like the ink had been some sort of magic beacon. Because she couldn't stop her arm from laying on the armrest, and she definitely couldn't help the way it slowly crept across the wood, closer and closer to the girl sending out the homing signal. It was like Tori had no control. And when Jade shifted in her seat and took off her jacket, revealing just how low cut her shirt actually was, Tori couldn't make her eyes look away.

It wasn't until the lights went dark that Tori was able to look away. And that was only because Jade's pale skin glowed eerily in the faint light from the stage, and Tori thought she was terrifying. Beautiful, but terrifying. And then Jade adjusted her body and Tori became acutely aware that they were sharing the armrest. Skin to skin. And the fire turned into an electric burn that Tori couldn't pull away from. Until Jade actually knocked her arm off with a harsh nudge of her elbow. "Jade!" Tori hissed, only to be shushed immediately by Cat. Tori glared at Jade, who looked thoroughly pleased as she lounged, her elbows propped up on both armrests and her hands folded comfortably across her stomach. Tori frowned and turned her attention to the stage as several lights turned on.

_Tori never intentionally cuddled up to Jade. It was just something that always happened when she slept. They would zip their sleeping bags together to make one giant one, and of course Tori kind of scooted around in her sleep until she ended up with her face pressed against Jade's shoulder. The tent that they camped out in really was small, and although they were just little kids, they still took up all the room inside and Tori didn't really have a choice but to be pressed up against Jade. She never meant to do it. It just kind of happened. And either she would wake up and scoot away or turn her head and try to put space between them, or Jade would wake up first and nudge Tori until she had enough room to wiggle free. Tori liked the comfort and warmth of having Jade there. Of knowing that her best friend was __**right there**__. Of the pressure of Jade's body against her own. It was nice. It was comforting. And sometimes Tori would wake up and purposefully not move, pretending to be asleep if she felt the nudge in her side that meant Jade had woken up and wanted space. Because Tori didn't want space. She wanted Jade._

The play actually had been pretty good. Cat seemed ecstatic once it was over, thanking everyone again for coming with her. She was met with thanks in return for getting the tickets and convincing them all to go. It wasn't that late yet, just a little after nine, and Tori asked if anyone wanted to get something to eat. There was a chorus of indecision and shrugs that turned into agreement and nods when Tori said, "My treat?" She grinned as they all headed off down the street. "You guys are too easy."

"Hey, if bein' easy gets me free pizza, then I don't have a problem with it!" Andre declared, causing Tori to laugh. He threw his arm around her and they slowed their pace, falling behind the rest of the group. "So, Tori, what's up?"

Tori tried to shrug, the movement hindered by his strong arm draped around her shoulders. "Nothing. What's up with you?"

"Don't give me that," Andre said seriously, dropping his arm and sticking his hands in his pockets. Tori frowned at him. "Look," Andre said, his shoulders rising slightly, "I know we haven't been friends for long, but we're pretty tight, yeah?"

"Yeah," Tori agreed slowly, dragging the word out.

Andre sighed and drew to a stop. "So, it's obvious something's buggin' you. You've been wonky all week, getting' this look in your eyes like," Andre turned his gaze away, his eyes sort of glazing over in demonstration. He snapped his attention back to Tori. "And if you don't wanna talk about it, I get that, but I'm here for ya if you do. Okay?"

"Okay," Tori said through a nervous chuckle. "I appreciate that, Andre, but there's really nothi-"

"Guys!" Their attention was stolen by Beck, walking backwards down the sidewalk with his arms in the air. "We found pizza! Hurry up!"

Tori looked back to Andre, who gave a small shrug. "Just, keep it in mind, alright? Any time, any place about anything… my ears are yours." Tori smiled sincerely at that. Andre really was a sweet guy. And then she took it back because he threw an arm out, capturing her head, and roughly ruffled her hair. "C'mon, girl, you've got starving friends to feed!"

Tori laughed as he let her go and started jogging down the sidewalk to where Beck was waiting for them. "Andre!" Tori yelled, chasing after him. "You messed up my hair!"

Ordering pizza for six different people with six different tastes proved a lot more difficult than Tori had anticipated. Their waiter looked completely lost as they argued amongst themselves, trying to figure out what everyone wanted. Eventually Beck shushed everyone at the table and turned to the waiter. "Two pizzas. Ham and pineapple on one, but only pineapple on half. On the other half, ham and green peppers, but the green peppers and pineapple absolutely cannot touch," the waiter was frantically scribbling on his pad while Beck continued, "On the second one, pepperoni and onion on one quarter, pepperoni and extra cheese on another quarter, and extra cheese and mushrooms on the other half, but no onions on the half with mushrooms. Got that?" The waiter repeated it and with a nod from Beck hurried off to the kitchen.

"Man, we are gonna have to leave him a really good tip," Tori chuckled.

"It's a good thing Rex didn't come," Robbie said, "He would've needed an entire pizza for himself."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Rex eats pizza?"

"It's just about all he eats," Robbie responded. "Well, pizza and cookies. And he never puts on any weight!"

"Imagine that," Tori said, catching Andre's eye. They tried to stifle laughter as Beck struck up a conversation with Robbie. They were seated at a table in the back of the pizzeria. Tori was sitting between Beck and Cat, Jade was across from Cat, Andre was across from Tori, and Robbie was across from Beck, leaning across the table as they conversed. Andre joined in after Beck mentioned something about music. Tori turned to look at Cat when she asked Jade a question about the play and Jade started ranting about her opinion of it. Jade was turned sideways in her chair, one arm draped over the back of it and she was leaning against the wall. The red lights hanging above the table lit up her face in a strange way. It turned the streaks in her hair an almost purple color, and her skin seemed to glow.

Tori jumped in her seat when she felt someone kick her foot. She looked across the table at Andre, who was talking intently with Robbie. She turned to Beck, who caught her eye and gave her a small, slightly confused smile. Then she turned to Cat, whose head was tilted to the side trying to understand what Jade was saying. There was another kick and Tori's eyes shot from person to person, trying to see if anyone was trying to get her attention, but everyone seemed involved in their own conversations. She could just lean back and glance under the table, but that might be draw attention. Her brow furrowed as something knocked her foot again. But it wasn't a kick so much as a tap. And just as Tori turned her head and opened her mouth to ask who kept kicking her, Jade's eyes flickered away from Cat to her. Just for a moment, and then they were focused on Cat again, but it was enough that Tori knew. She didn't know why, because Jade obviously wasn't trying to talk to her. Beck asked her a question, and she turned to him with a 'huh?' He chuckled and repeated himself and Tori got wrapped up in whatever weird argument the boys were having. But her attention was divided, because Jade's foot kept tapping her own, and Tori started tapping hers back. At first it was out of annoyance, as a way of saying "How do you like it?" But then it wasn't taps so much as just touches. Little touches that Tori barely felt, but then lingering ones. And then Jade's boot against Tori's ankle under the table while neither of them paid any attention to the other.

Tori didn't know why she went along with it. Because she realized, when the waiter brought out their pizzas and Jade and Tori both sat up a little straighter, returned their feet to their own personal spaces, that she had just been playing footsie with Jade. And that was weird. Although it didn't feel weird, which kind of just made it even weirder. And suddenly, when Andre was holding out a slice of ham and pineapple for her to take, she had the urge to pull him away from the table and tell him everything. He just tilted his head at the strange look on her face and she gave a small shake of her head, trying to clear her mind. Maybe she needed to stop being so patient with Jade. Maybe she just needed to finally confront her and find out what had been going on in Jade's mind over the past few weeks. Maybe she needed keep her foot from inching across the floor under the table like it was trying to do. Tori jerked her leg back a bit too hard and her knee collided with the underside of the table.

Everything on the table sort of hopped. Nothing spilled, even though a bit of water sloshed over the top of Jade's glass. "Jesus, Vega!" Jade barked, reaching out to steady her glass. "You're such a spaz!"

"What happened?" Cat's fingers carefully touched her own glass, the soda still rippling inside.

"I hit my knee on the table," Tori mumbled as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"You need to relax," Andre said with a small shake of his head.

"Seriously," Beck and Robbie both added.

"What's got you so wound up lately, Vega? First detention and now you're abusing the furniture." There was a hint of amusement in Jade's voice and Tori just kind of stared at her.

"I dunno, _Jade_, do I seem a bit wound up?"

"Yes." Five voices answered at once.

"So… who's paying for all this pizza?" Tori asked in false confusion, tilting her head to the side.

"No, you're not wound up."

"Not at all."

"You seem totally chill."

"You? Wound up? No!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Tori grumbled, poking at the crust that was left on her plate.

The conversations picked back up soon after that, and so did Tori's mood. Once the attention was off her and focused on other things, like school and Sikowitz and a group discussion about the play, Tori had actually relaxed. And she almost forgot about what Jade had been doing under the table. Almost. But after they'd paid, both pizzas being completely devoured, and were walking back down the street, Tori found herself side by side with Jade again. "So, what was that?" Tori asked quietly, although she didn't need to worry about being overheard because Robbie was on Andre's back and Cat was on Beck's and they were racing down the sidewalk.

"What was what, Vega? I'm not a fucking mind reader."

"That thing under the table? With the feet?"

"You mean when I was kicking you?" Jade turned a pointed glance on Tori.

"That," Tori said slowly, "was not kicking."

"I kicked you and you tried to play footsie and then I kicked you to make you stop. Doesn't mean anything." There was a scream of surprise and then lots of laughing as Beck and Cat tried to prevent Andre and Robbie from beating them.

"Jade," Tori said softly. She wrapped her fingers around Jade's wrist and pulled her to a stop. Jade yanked her arm away, staring at Tori's hand. "Jade, what's going on?"

"Nothing, Vega."

"Jade."

"What!" Jade took a step forward. It wasn't just a step. It was Jade claiming space, trying to intimidate Tori. And Tori knew that.

She tried to hold her ground, though, even with Jade's eyes shining dangerously. "How long can you keep pretending?"

"I was kinda planning on forever," Jade said sharply, "until you showed up."

Tori's eyebrows drew together. "What?"

A shout came from the group and Jade's head whipped to the side. "Shapiro! Touch Cat again and I'll rip your fucking arms off!" Tori was surprised. She hadn't even been aware of what the others were doing, really, but she looked and saw Robbie take a giant step away from Cat.

"That!" Tori jabbed a finger at Jade's chest. "That right there!"

"Don't touch me," Jade growled, pushing Tori's hand away.

Tori didn't back down. "You're still the same Jade deep down." Jade glared hard at her. "Deep, deep, deep, deep down. I just don't understand."

"That's not my problem." Jade turned to walk away but Tori grabbed her arm.

"Yeah it is! You're half of this, Jade, and whatever's going on I'm half of too. You owe me an explanation."

"I _owe_ you?" Jade's eyes narrowed and her voice grew quiet. Tori was treading on dangerous ground. Jade West had become a war zone. There were landmines buried everywhere and Tori didn't have a map. She had two options. She could stop where she was, turn around and leave. Or she could carry forward, blindly hoping that each time her foot touched the ground she wasn't blown to pieces.

Tori Vega was patient. She could take her time about it, but she was definitely going to cross that minefield. Forget everything she had said about waiting until Jade was ready, because Tori knew that Jade was never going to be ready. "Yes. You owe me. The moon and the Earth and infinity and paper planes and fireflies, Jade. You owe me all of that." Jade's breathing was heavy. Her eyes were hard and unreadable and Tori had that fleeting feeling again like Jade might actually hit her. But Tori's hands were balled into fists. She had taken the first step. And if she was about to be destroyed she wanted to go down with a fight.

"One question, Vega. That's it. And then you fucking drop this, got it?"

She was safe. Nothing had exploded. Shrapnel wasn't raining down and all her limbs were intact. She breathed a sigh of relief and almost laughed before seeing that Jade still looked like she might punch her. So Tori just nodded. "One question."

"And then you drop it."

"And then I drop it," Tori agreed. Jade eased off slightly. She still looked dangerous, but Tori didn't feel threatened. She had found a safe patch of ground. She could wait there until she had to move again.

"Yo, you guys alright?" Andre called.

Jade turned on her heel and walked to rejoin the group, Tori stumbling after her. "I'm driving her home. We have to finish up a stupid paper for class."

Everyone gave them weird looks once they reached Jade's car and said their goodbyes. Andre pulled Tori to the side and said, once again, "Any time, any place, okay? No matter what." Tori thanked him and gave him a hug. "And text me when you get home so I know Jade didn't kill you." Tori laughed and said she would. Cat gave her a big hug and smile and thanked her for buying them all pizza. "Thanks for taking me to the play," Tori responded as they broke apart. Cat gave Jade a small wave and Tori gave Beck and Robbie quick hugs. Jade had already gotten into her car and started it, staring through the windshield while her fingers drummed impatiently on top of the dashboard.

Tori climbed into the passenger's seat, watching her friends walk away in the side mirror. She pulled her seatbelt on and Jade tore off down the street. Jade didn't say anything, didn't even try and initiate a conversation. Tori didn't really expect her to. But, she had no idea what to ask. She had about a million questions and she would only get one answered. So most of the ride was actually spent thinking of what to ask. What the most pressing thing was that she wanted to know. Finally Tori realized she didn't have much time left until they'd be at her house, and so she settled on one. "Why did you ignore me? Why'd you pretend, are still pretending, that we don't know each other?"

"Learn to count, Vega, that's two."

Tori rolled her eyes. "Why did you act like we don't know each other?"

Jade was silent. She switched hands on the steering wheel, lifting her right one to adjust the rearview mirror. She shifted in her seat. She gave no sign, whatsoever, that she had heard Tori. After several awkward minutes Tori sighed. "Jade-"

"I didn't want to think about it," Jade blurted. Tori turned surprised eyes to the left, and Jade seemed just as shocked at her words as Tori was. Jade was visibly uncomfortable and Tori felt a little guilty for putting her in that position. Jade's knuckles had gone white on the steering wheel and she kept her eyes focused straight ahead, never once looking at Tori. "I saw you and I remembered everything and I didn't want to think about it. Because that was a really shitty time in my life. And I couldn't look at you without seeing my parents fighting. I still can't."

There was an unspoken 'but' there. Tori could feel it. She watched as the muscles in Jade's jaw twitched, her throat working to force sound out. Tori watched as the words moved up, and into Jade's mouth. But then there was nothing. They got stuck on the tip of her tongue, trapped behind her teeth. And then, very forcefully, Jade swallowed them down. She swallowed a couple more times, like she was making sure that she couldn't even taste the shadows of the words anymore. And Tori had no idea what to say. She had an instinct to reach out and touch Jade's arm. To take her hand or comfort her in some way. Tori's fingers twitched with the need to do something. But she couldn't. Because that's how the nine year old Tori would've reacted. And the nine year old Jade would have accepted it. But they weren't nine anymore.

It was only a couple of minutes until they were parked outside Tori's house. Jade still hadn't looked at her. Tori couldn't stop looking at Jade. She still had no idea what to say, and the tension in the air was physically weighing her down. So she gave a curt nod of her head and unbuckled. She opened her door and stepped out of the car. And just as she was about to shut the door, a hand flew out to stop it. Jade was leaning across the front seat, her arm stretched out and her palm resting where Tori had just been sitting. Tori leaned down slightly so she could fully see Jade. "I didn't- it wasn't-" Jade stopped, took a moment, and then slowly raised her eyes. "It was a shitty time, because of them. Not because of you. You were the only thing that wasn't bad back then."

Tori nodded and Jade pulled her arm away as she sat up. Tori closed the door gently and stepped back from the car. She stood there, in the street, arms folded across her stomach, and watched as Jade drove off. A mine had been deactivated. Jade had voluntarily removed it and let Tori take another step forward.

**A/N In case you didn't notice, the flashbacks/childhood memories have been decreasing in number. That's because there won't be any more. Everything that needed to be established with them has been.**

**Also, this is a long chapter. Almost twenty pages long. Congrats if you made it through the whole thing, I hope it was worth your time =) Next chapter: a giant chunk of Catorade with a smooth Jori center. …that sounded inappropriate, and I ain't even gonna apologize. I will apologize for not replying to reviews, though. It's been a crazy week and I figured I'd just write you an update as a thank you instead.  
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**You all know the drill. Leave a review. If you don't, you'll get Five Fingaz to the Face. Or Jade and her shovel. Whichever you'd prefer. (On a completely related note, I'm so excited that we finally got to hear the whole song that Cat and Trina sang ages ago. And the 'dirty' next line.)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I never realized what a Catorade-friendship fan I was until I wrote this chapter. And now it's all I can see. This is still a Jori story.**

**Disclaimer: I've sorted through everything I own, which isn't a lot, and just couldn't find Victorious anywhere. Must not be mine.**

Jade couldn't believe she had said that. That she'd actually admitted it, and then blurted out such a stupid, sentimental explanation. It had been an afterthought. She had told Tori what she asked. She had answered her one allotted question. There was no need for Jade's hand to fly out in a panic to stop the door from closing. There was no need for her mouth to start trying to speak when her brain was screaming at it to just shut up and stay closed. But she had. And Tori had just nodded, looking at Jade like they had both accomplished something. Tori looked… proud of her, almost. Jade's hand slammed against the steering wheel as she waited for the traffic light to turn green. She couldn't even think about the way she felt when their arms brushed in the theater, or how much effort it took to control her features and keep up a stupid conversation with Cat while her foot had been… what? Flirting? Was that flirting? At first Jade had just kicked Tori to get her to stop blatantly staring at her like some lusty prepubescent. And then it was funny to watch Vega try and figure out who was kicking her, so Jade kept doing it. But then Tori realized, and they'd…

The light turned green and Jade hit the gas. She couldn't think about it. She refused to let herself think about it. But she didn't want to go home, because she knew all she would do was think about it. Dammit, she needed a distraction. She was driving on auto-pilot, her mind plowing on at a hundred miles an hour while her eyes and hands and feet reacted instinctively to the road. She was actually surprised at where she had ended up as she pulled into a parking space on the side of the road. Jade sat there for a few minutes, just staring out into the darkness. Fuck it, she figured as she turned her car off. She was already there; she might as well get out.

There was a concrete path lit with small lampposts. They weren't that old even though the paint was chipping off; they just looked like something from the thirties. Purely aesthetics. Jade's boots sounded heavy as she walked through the park. She passed a few empty benches, a couple which were filled by sleeping figures bundled in far too many clothes. She wasn't even really paying attention to where she was walking, just sort of going with her feet as they followed her memory. It was exactly the same as she remembered it. Darker, because it was a Saturday night instead of a Sunday morning, but the same. The tree was a little bigger, its branches hanging a little lower than they used to. And there weren't any ducks in the pond. She was glad about that. Jade dropped into the grass at the base of the tree, feeling the bark scratch against her jacket. She crossed her legs and her fingers started pulling up grass. Individual blades at first, but then entire clumps with dirt hanging off the bottom. Her hands were going to be filthy. She threw a clump out into the pond. It broke the surface, sending rings rippling out as it sunk. The water looked black as the ripples faded and smoothed out. Jade wondered how deep it was. She'd never been in, because it wasn't meant for swimming and her dad never would have let her go in. But she had the urge to. To just strip down and wade out into the water and see how deep the blackness actually was. She was pulling off her jacket and standing up before she even realized it.

Apparently the pond was actually pretty deep and really fucking cold. Jade was shivering the whole way home, her clothes damp from her wet skin and the heat from the vents blasting on her bare feet. She parked in front of her house, barely pausing to notice that her mom's car wasn't in the driveway. She was probably out on a date or something, Jade thought as she went into her house and dropped her boots next to the front door. She climbed the stairs and pulled her jacket off, tossing it onto her bed when she walked in her room. She quickly stripped off her shirt and jeans, leaving them in a damp pile on the floor. She went to her closet and pulled out a change of clothes and then headed off to the bathroom. Jade turned the shower on as hot as it would go and took off her soaking bra and underwear. There were bits of grass and mud and god knows what other disgusting things plastered all over her body, standing out in stark contrast against her pale skin. She slid open the door to the shower and stepped in, her body immediately heating up and relaxing from the water's warmth. The jump in the pond and then the hot shower after had done exactly what Jade had hoped they would. She was distracted, her mind was clear, and after drying off and changing into what counted as pajamas for her, she climbed into bed and fell asleep almost straight away.

She spent Sunday morning in front of her laptop just staring at the first draft of her screenwriting paper. Her eyebrow was arched, the only visible sign that anything interesting was on her screen. Jade was a little impressed at what Tori had written. It was only a first draft, and obviously certain parts needed to be fleshed out, but… it actually wasn't bad. Jade dug through the stack of notes on her desk and after finding what she was looking for, started working on the second draft. It was a couple of hours later that she closed her laptop and leaned back in her chair, deciding she was finished for the day. She raised her arms over her head, enjoying the feel of her muscles stretching and the slight crack of her back. She dropped her arms down, her hands falling to her thighs. She had no idea what to do next.

She knew she should probably work on that song that was due at the end of the week. She hadn't even started on it, and she still had to write and record the whole thing. She wondered, briefly, if she could just bribe Andre into writing it for her. He probably wouldn't do it, but maybe if she threatened him? Jade's eyes drifted to her phone on her bed, and almost like a sixth sense had gotten her attention, the screen lit up, a small chime telling her that she had a text. She pushed her chair back and crossed to her bed, cocking a hip out to the side as she picked up her phone and read the text. Cat was bored and wanted to do something. Deciding that she still had the rest of the week to write the stupid song, Jade agreed to pick her up in an hour, as long as Cat thought of something not boring to do. Cat responded saying that she would think of something and Jade abandoned her phone on the bed again while she got dressed. Jeans, tank top, plaid shirt, done. Jade didn't understand girls who agonized over their wardrobes. Sorting through choice after choice trying to decide what to wear. If you kept it simple, limited your options, it was easy. After all, they were just clothes. Jade went to the bathroom, casting a disgusted look at the pair of boxers that had materialized on the floor. She had no idea where they came from, and she really didn't want to know. She stepped carefully around them and started on her makeup. Eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, lip gloss, done.

Jade took her license from her purse and her phone and shoved them into her pocket. She grabbed her jacket and her keys and headed downstairs. There was an envelope taped to the wall next to the front door with her name on it. Jade grabbed it and shoved it in the back pocket of her jeans, not bothering to open it. She knew what it was. Jade's mom wanted absolutely nothing to do with her dad after the divorce. Or, surprisingly, his money. So Jade got everything he was obligated by the courts to pay. It's not like Jade wanted the money either, but if it meant she had her own transportation and could afford to go to Hollywood Arts, then so be it. It was the biggest, and pretty much only, contribution her father had in her life. Money. She shoved her boots on, laced them up, and left. Her mom's car was in the driveway and a motorcycle, one of those crotch-rocket street bikes, was parked on the front lawn. It must have belonged to her mom's latest conquest.

"Asshole," Jade grumbled to herself as she crossed the small lawn between her house and the street. She unlocked the door, got in her car, shoved the envelope in the glove box, started it, and drove off. It didn't take her long to reach Cat's house. Jade pulled up outside and honked her horn several times. She saw the front door open and Cat step outside, wearing a light pink sundress. Jade grabbed her jacket off the passenger seat and tossed it into the back. She looked up just as Cat was opening the door. But the back door opened as well. Jade had a fleeting moment of panic that Cat's insane brother was joining them, but as her head whipped towards the back, she was greeted with a sight almost worse than that.

"Tori was bored, so she's coming too, kay?" Cat said cheerily as she got into the car.

No, Cat, that was not fucking okay. Tori smiled as she climbed into the backseat and Jade turned back to the front. Say something, she told herself. Tell her that it's not okay and she needs to get the fuck out of your car. Tell her to stop smiling at you in the rearview mirror like that. Tell her. Say something. Anything. Oh my god, just make words. "Fine, but Vega's paying for gas." Wait, that wasn't what she meant to say. "Where are we going anyway?"

"We were thinking Santa Monica?" It was a statement, but Cat's voice had this way of making everything sound like a question. "It's so nice out today and I haven't been to the pier in forever." Jade nodded. She could deal with the pier. She could deal with Cat. She could maybe deal with Vega as long as the girl kept her word and didn't bring up any more absurd questions or concerns. "Um, Jade, my house isn't Santa Monica."

"When Vega buckles up, we will leave," Jade said slowly, shooting Tori a pointed glance in the mirror.

Tori sighed and put on her seatbelt. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic." Jade smiled sarcastically, getting one in return from Tori, and shifted the car into drive. They hadn't even reached the end of the street when Cat started up the first car game.

"I went to the beach and I brought-"

"Cat, I don't want to play that one."

"And I brought," Cat continued, ignoring Jade's interruption, "the Alamo!"

"You can't carry the Alamo to the beach," Jade grumbled.

"Just play, Jade!"

Jade sighed heavily. "Fine. I went to the beach and I brought the Alamo and… Bambi's dead mom."

"Jade!" Tori screamed from the backseat as Cat gasped in horror.

"I told you I didn't want to play." Jade kind of enjoyed the glare Tori was shooting her, but Cat looked like she might actually cry and Jade's soft side reared up. "Whatever. I brought a banana then."

"I went to the beach and I brought the Alamo, a _banana_," Tori said pointedly before leaning forward and placing her hands on the back of Cat's seat, "and a cat in a basket."

Cat giggled and immediately cheered up. Jade glanced at the two of them, Tori still leaning forward and grinning at Cat's wide eyed and excited expression. They were too fucking adorable for their own good. Jade frowned and looked away. The game continued until they reached 'K' and Jade froze. There was a moment of panic while she wracked her brain, but Tori was grinning, leaning forward and waiting expectantly to see if she lost the game, and all Jade could think of was kissing. Which you couldn't just stick in your pocket and take to the beach. Although, if she could- "Kaleidoscope!" Cat jumped at how loud Jade's voice was and Jade tried to play it off with a nonchalant shrug. Tori was on the verge of hysterical laughter as she tried to continue.

The game ended when Cat reached 'S' and couldn't remember half of what had come before. And then she'd gone into a slight panic, because they were so close to the end of the alphabet, and Tori calmed her down by starting up another game. Luckily they reached Santa Monica before it was finished. "Just park at the mall and we can walk to the pier."

"I know where I'm going, Vega," Jade snapped.

"Really? Because you just missed the turn."

"I meant to!"

It was several more minutes before they were parked and walking away from the car, Cat skipping along in front of them. "Bambi's dead mom, Jade? Really?" Tori asked once Cat had gotten far enough away that she couldn't hear them.

Jade shrugged, twirling her keys around her finger. "What? It starts with a 'B'." Tori rolled her eyes and jogged forward, away from her. Jade kept her pace steady, watching as Tori caught up to Cat and linked their arms together. Jade titled her head to the side. Pro: Vega could actually keep her word. Jade was relieved that Tori hadn't said anything about the night before, not that she expected her to in front of Cat, but it was still good that she didn't throw questions at Jade the first chance she got. She was also extremely relieved that neither of them had asked about the whole Beck thing. Because Jade wasn't sure she could answer. Her whole life had kind of been thrown in upheaval when Tori stepped back into it, and Beck had just kind of gotten pushed to the side while Jade sorted through more pressing issues. She probably expected him to still be there, to stick around like he always had, when the dust settled. It was weird knowing that he wouldn't. But the air was still thick and Jade was still waiting to see how everything would land. The dust hadn't settled. And thoughts about Beck were still on the sidelines.

Cat looked over her shoulder and waved at Jade to hurry up. Jade shoved her keys in her pocket and rolled her eyes, walking faster. She shouldn't be feeling relieved yet. The whole day was still in front of them. Plenty of time for Vega to fuck it up.

Cat got excited the second the Ferris wheel crept into her line of vision. She was bouncing down the sidewalk, pulling Tori along, chatting away happily. Jade was a few steps behind them, wishing she had brought sunglasses. "You're coming on the rides, right?" Jade blinked and glanced at Tori, who had sort of a halo effect as Jade's eyes adjusted from staring at the sun. "You can't go to the pier and not go on the rides," Tori stated, looking over her shoulder at Jade.

"Oh, Jade never goes on the rides," Cat said quietly.

"It's more fun on the ground watching people's faces and listening to their screams of terror as they plummet to their death."

Tori stopped walking, turning fully to face Jade as Cat let go of her arm. "What? Screams of terror?"

"Yes," Jade said slowly, "as they plummet to their death."

"No one's going to die."

"You don't know that. Someone could."

"Wait, are you _hoping_ that someone dies?"

Jade blinked slowly, her arms sliding to fold across her stomach. "Maybe."

"Are you-" Tori turned to Cat and raised a hand to point at Jade. "Is she always like this?"

"Pretty much," Cat shrugged.

"Huh." Tori turned back to Jade. "Interesting."

Jade didn't like the tone in Tori's voice or the glint in her eye. Any hint of a smirk that had been on Jade's face vanished. She watched as Tori hooked her arm through Cat's again and started walking. Tori was walking fast. Jade didn't like that either. She picked up her pace when Tori bent down and whispered something to Cat. Who giggled and nodded and Jade ran to catch up to them. "Whatever you're planning, Vega, stop."

"Me?" Tori asked, all faux innocence as she batted her lashes and laid a palm on her chest. "I'm not planning anything."

"How dare you accuse Tori like that," Cat said, mimicking Tori's expression.

Jade had a bad feeling. A very, very bad feeling. "I drove. I can leave you two stranded here, you know that right?"

"Of course," Cat said with a nod and a sincere smile. Jade's forehead creased. She didn't trust either of them. And if it wouldn't result in Cat crying her eyes out, Jade just might've turned around right then and there and gone back home.

They reached the pier, Tori's arms still linked with Cat's, and walked through the entrance to the rides and games. Cat and Tori skipped off towards one of the ticket booths, Jade keeping a safe distance between them and herself. She wasn't sure what they were planning, but she knew Tori was planning something. And of course Cat would go along with it. Which made them both dangerous. They set off from the ticket booth, but Jade caught the teenage boy peering around the edge of his stall, watching as they left. "Hey, creeper," Jade said, snapping her fingers as she walked by to get his attention. "You better enjoy the view while you still have eyes." She shot him a pointed look and gave a satisfied smirk as he slunk back into his booth. Cat and Tori had already thrown themselves fully into the games and Jade hovered behind them as they moved from stall to stall, trying to win prizes. She was surprised it wasn't more crowded. The weather was gorgeous, she could hear the roar of the ocean at the edge of the pier, it was the perfect day to be there, but there was hardly a crowd at all.

"Jade! C'mon!" Cat called, waving an arm in the air as Tori jogged off somewhere else. Jade sighed and raised a hand, showing she heard Cat. Cat nodded and ran off after Tori, Jade keeping an eye on them as she tried to catch up. When she finally reached them, Tori had a giant stuffed frog tucked under her arm that was almost as big as Cat, who was pointing wildly and looking thrilled. "Oh my god! Jade! Look what Tori won! Isn't it awesome?"

"It's something, alright," Jade said slowly as her eyebrow quirked. Tori had a huge grin slapped on her face. "Vega, you look like you just figured out how to shit gold."

Tori's grin slowly slipped. "Jade, that's disgusting."

"I wish I could poop gold! Could you imagine?" Of course nothing could squash Cat's good mood, not even Jade cussing.

"It would probably hurt, kitten," Jade said calmly. Cat just laughed and grabbed Jade's left arm, pulling her along as Tori walked beside them. Cat was pointing at everything, her face lit up with wonder. Jade glanced to her right and saw that Tori had the frog cuddled against her chest, her eyes shining almost as brightly as Cat's. A smile was tugging on the corner of Jade's mouth. She tried to fight it, force her face to remain passive, but she just couldn't. "I feel like a babysitter right now," Jade grumbled, only barely holding back a laugh. And then all trace of humor was gone, because Cat had tightened her grip on Jade's left arm, and Tori had snuck a hold on Jade's right, and they were marching her straight towards one of the rides. "No. No!" Jade tried to dig her heels into the planks of wood beneath her feet, but the girls dragging her along were surprisingly strong.

"It's just a ride, Jade," Cat said lightly.

"Like a really big swing," Tori added.

"No! These rides are fucking deathtraps!" There was a conspiracy. There must have been, because Cat and Tori marched her right onto one of those fucking boat things that swung like a pendulum, and the ride attendant just smiled at them and pushed the bar over their laps. "No! This is kidnapping! Let me off!" The attendant looked confused for a moment, but then Cat giggled and did some weird, flirtatious hair flip wave thing at him and he was grinning like an idiot, walking over to a different seat. Sometimes Cat was as innocent as a nun doing squats in a cucumber field. "Oh come on!" Jade pulled at the bar across her lap but it didn't budge.

"Jade, calm down."

Jade blinked and looked down at her hand. She couldn't see it, because Tori's was wrapped around it. She raised her eyes and gulped. Tori was looking at her, a slightly amused, mostly reassuring smile tugging at her lips. "Relax. It's just a big swing."

"I broke my arm on a regular swing. A big swing will kill me," Jade pointed out. She tried to sound stern. She tried to sound pissed off. She tried to sound anything but terrified. But there was a weird thumping in her chest that couldn't have been her heart, because her heart never beat that fast. And there was a loud groan from the ride as they started to move, but she couldn't look away from Tori. And then Tori's fingertips were gliding across Jade's palm and slipping into the spaces between Jade's fingers and Tori was squeezing her hand. And Jade had no idea why her own fingers were squeezing back because she certainly didn't tell them to.

"Trust me, Jade. You'll be fine." Tori had that look again. Like she and Jade had just accomplished something and Tori was proud of them. Of her.

The ride actually wasn't that bad and Jade felt pretty stupid afterwards, not that she let it show. As soon as they came to a stop, Jade stood up. There was extra weight at the end of her arm, though, and when she looked down she saw she was still holding Tori's hand. She let go immediately, of course, because there was no reason for the comforting gesture now that the ride was done. Tori's brow furrowed but she didn't say anything as they all got up and walked away. Jade's hands found their way into her back pockets. Tori gave the giant frog to Cat, who named him Sir Hops-A-Lot, how original. Cat walked between the two of them as they roamed out of the amusement park and onto the main pier. Tori stopped walking and leaned over the railing to look down at the ocean. Jade averted her eyes because Tori's shorts were really tight. Cat giggled and pulled Jade over to the railing anyway. "I'm really glad we came here today," Cat said, her face split in a grin as they all leaned on the railing. Jade was leaning on her elbow, trying not to look at the water because she loved the beach but hated the ocean, but that meant that she was mostly just looking at Tori, whose head was thrown back, her eyes closed, looking for all the world like she was the happiest she could ever be. Cat must've seen something in the water because she ran across the pier to the railing on the other side.

A lazy grin spread across Tori's face and Jade couldn't stop the smile on her own. One of Tori's eyes cracked open. "Like what you see?"

Jade slapped her poker face back on and shrugged as her mind-to-mouth filter mysteriously vanished yet again. "It looks like you were thinking about jumping, which might be cool to watch. We are pretty high up." She gestured vaguely out towards the water, never actually looking at it.

Tori just chuckled lightly and ran her hands through her hair. "Okay, Jade."

"You guys!" Cat called, running back over to them. "I was standing over there," she pointed, "and I heard a growling noise and I thought it was a whale but it was just my stomach."

Tori laughed and Jade rolled her eyes. "Cat, do you want to get something to eat?" Cat's vigorous head nod was all the answer they needed and they set off back down the pier.

They found a little café with picnic tables outside and Jade saved a table while Cat and Tori went inside to get food. Jade poked Sir Hops-A-Lot in the side. "You're a weird lookin' amphibian, dude." He was cheaply made; his stitches were showing everywhere and one of his pupils was slightly bigger than the other. Jade tapped a finger on his plastic eye and then turned him so he was facing away from her. "Freaky frog," she muttered to herself. She hated having to wait. Waiting was boring. She pulled her phone out and poked the screen. Not really doing anything, but trying to look busy. She opened the Slap. She had a bunch of notifications that she ignored. She had a text message from Andre asking if she'd started her song yet and did she need help. She didn't answer. She had a game where she had to take care of some fake fish. They were all dead, floating at the top of the virtual tank. "Oh, cool," Jade said, poking the screen as the fish rippled in the water.

She had this thing about death. It was more an interest than a fascination, really. She'd had it ever since she was a kid. It just intrigued her how something could be alive one minute, and then not the next. How you could have a firefly, glowing and floating around inside a jar when you went to bed, and then just a dead bug stuck to the bottom when you woke up in the morning. How a bird could look so solid, so free, when it was flying, but crumpled up and still, the feathers of its wings in disarray, it just looked frail and weak. People were the same way. Full of life and energy and that glow that made them _real_, but then still and cold and looking like they might just be asleep. Jade didn't really understand it, but she wanted to. She figured that if maybe she could figure out how things died, she could figure out what it was that kept them alive. Kept them glowing and soaring in the sky.

"They have french fries!"

Jade's head jerked up as Cat flopped down on the bench across from her.

"We got _so many_ french fries," Tori said with a laugh as she sat down next to Cat. Holy shit they did. They had four baskets between the two of them.

Jade shoved her phone back in her pocket and watched as Cat started eating. "Hungry, are we?" She reached out and picked a fry from one of the baskets. She bit it in half and watched as Tori picked up a ketchup bottle, creating a pool in the corner of one of the baskets. She picked up a little plastic cup of something white and dumped it on top of the ketchup. "Vega, that's disgusting."

Tori grabbed a fry and started swirling the mayo and ketchup together. She covered the fry in it and held it out to Jade. "Wanna try? It's _delicious_," she said in a sing-song voice. She was grinning, waving the fry back and forth in front of Jade.

"I will pay you to get that out of my face."

Cat giggled and Tori just popped the fry in her mouth with a mumbled "Your loss." Cat and Tori ate, Cat occasionally stopping to pretend to feed Sir Hops-A-Lot. Jade just sat there, drumming her fingers on the table and stealing the odd fry or two. "So what do you guys wanna do when we're done?" Cat asked, pushing aside an empty basket as she started on the next. Jade shrugged and Tori just looked up at the sky.

She swallowed and looked back at Cat. "We've got a while before it gets dark and we _are _at the beach."

"Oh my gosh," Cat said hurriedly, "sand castles!"

"You're not five," Jade snapped at the redhead.

"Come on, Jade, loosen up. I'd love to build a sandcastle with you, Cat," Tori said with a smile. Cat grinned and Jade slouched in her seat. She was getting agitated, but she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the sun. They'd all been wandering around for a couple of hours with nothing between themselves and the sun except open sky. Maybe she needed a nap, she thought as she grabbed another fry. Or maybe, she thought as Tori caught her eye and smiled, she needed something else entirely. Jade frowned and looked down at the table. It was weird. It was too weird. Tori Fucking Vega refused to be labeled. Jade had thought she sorted the problem after Tori's first week at Hollywood Arts. Jade had worked really hard, thinking more than she ever really liked to, to sort out where Tori Fucking Vega fit. And then with a shrug and a jump off a swing, Tori had leapt right out of the box Jade had stuck her in. And instead of just staying put so Jade could stick her in another one, Tori had gone and run off. And Jade felt like she was playing catch up. Like they were in a weird game where Jade was it and just couldn't tag Tori.

A hand was waving in her face. Cat's hand was waving in her face, the girl's eyes wide and her mouth stretched in a grin. Jade blinked. "What?"

"You ready to go? We finished," Cat said, pointing to the empty baskets that used to contain food. Jesus, had those two really eaten all those fries? Jade stood up and saw Tori shrug out of the corner of her eyes as she and Cat got up from the table. Jade shook her head to clear her thoughts and started walking away.

Half an hour later, Jade was sitting in the sand with her legs crossed next to three pairs of shoes and a hideous stuffed frog. Tori was chasing Cat around down by the water. They were laughing, Cat's cries growing louder and more excited by the minute as she stopped suddenly and ran in the opposite direction, shooting right past Tori. Tori stumbled in the sand and continued in her pursuit. "Fuck," Jade mumbled. "Watch out for the waves!" She screamed, Tori's hand brushing off her concern the only sign that they even knew she was there. She was their fucking babysitter. They were like children who didn't even care that their guardian was getting pissed off at them because they were at the beach and kids don't give a damn about anything when they're at the beach. "I'm serious! If one of you falls in and gets wet you're not allowed in the fucking car!" Tori stopped and turned. Even from that distance Jade knew she was glaring at her. And then Jade barked out a laugh, because Cat ran up behind Tori and tackled her to the ground. Little Cat Valentine, in her pretty pink sundress, full on tackled Tori Vega. Tori face planted in the sand and Jade heard the 'oof' that escaped her upon impact. Cat leapt up and struck a victory pose, one hand on her hip cocked out to the side and the other arm raised in triumph. Jade had to applaud that. There was no way she couldn't.

"Good job, Cat," Jade said, not even hiding her smirk as Cat ran over to her.

"I won!" The petite redhead cried out as she dropped to her knees in the sand next to Jade.

"Yeah, yeah," Tori grumbled as she walked over and plopped down. "You win this round, but I'll get you back." Cat giggled and poked Tori's side and Jade watched as Tori fought, and lost, to hold back a smile. Cat kept poking Tori, seeming to find a sensitive spot, and Jade just arched an eyebrow as the two girls got into a tickle fight in the sand.

"This is like a frat boy's wet dream," Jade said flatly, turning her head to look in the opposite direction. And, sure enough, there were a couple of guys not too far away, throwing a frisbee half-assed between them, their eyes darting towards Tori and Cat every few seconds. Jade shook her head and looked away. She'd have to go out of her way to tell them off for perving on her friends, and they weren't really annoying as long as they- Whoa. Jade blinked slowly as the gasping laughs calmed down next to her. Cat was her friend, sure, sometimes she was more like a pet, but Jade liked her well enough. Tori, however, was not her friend. Jade wasn't sure what Tori was, but she wasn't whatever Cat was. Cat was defined. Jade knew how to label Cat and the redhead accepted it. Tori was… "Fuck!" A burst of sand flew in front of her as Tori ran back to the water, Cat stumbling after her. Tori was a nuisance.

Jade pinched the fabric of her shirt between her fingers and shook the sand off. She brushed at her stomach and legs, trying to get the little grains off her jeans. "Vega, I'll kill you!"

"Gonna hafta catch me first!" Tori threw her arms out in a challenge and then bent over as Cat wrapped her up in a hug. Jade huffed.

"You aren't worth the effort!"

"Okay, Jade!" Came Tori's reply as the two girls dropped to their knees and started digging their hands in the damp sand.

Great, Jade thought, they were actually going to build a sand castle. She stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing her ankles, her eyes staring at the groove created in the sand from where her knees had just been. She tilted her head and looked down the beach to her left. She could see the pier, and it seemed to have picked up after they left. Jade could just make out the faint dots of people walking along. It seemed like they had migrated from the beach, because there was a good distance between Jade and the small family next to her. The kids would probably be tired soon. Cat would probably be tired soon, she thought as her eyes pulled back to the right. Tori and Cat were chatting away, probably about the structure being shaped in front of them. Jade's eyes drifted off to the right, and the boys who were watching Cat and Tori. They'd given up on trying to play frisbee, instead the boy with blonde hair was just spinning the disk between his hands. Jade watched as they conversed, undoubtedly deciding whether or not to approach the girls down by the water. One of them, the one with dark hair, pointed and the other one nodded. The one with dark hair looked a little like Beck. Only Beck would never wear plaid shorts like that, and this boy's hair wasn't nearly as long or, Jade almost cringed at thinking it, _fluffy_.

They seemed to come to a decision and started walking through the sand. The blonde's arms dropped to his sides, the frisbee still clutched in one hand. Jade felt the muscles in her legs tense. She knew her body was getting ready to pounce, to stand up and storm over if things went wrong. Jade's eyes narrowed the tiniest bit as the boys reached Tori and Cat. Jade couldn't hear what they were saying, but Tori was gesturing towards Cat and then towards Jade and the blonde looked in her direction. He gave a small wave and Jade turned her head away. Cat's laughter carried across the beach, light and airy and floating on the breeze, and Jade relaxed. She was kind of glad, because she was sitting comfortably with her hands resting in the sand behind her and she didn't really feel like getting up to scare off some creepers.

The sun had been steadily sinking all day and was at that point in the sky that it was right in front of Jade and shone directly into her eyes. She grumbled and leaned back on her elbows, letting her head droop back as she shut her eyes. She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, or if she had fallen asleep at some point, but there were voices above her and then a hand gently shaking her shoulder. "I feel bad waking her up. She actually looks happy." That was Cat's voice, soft and light and always on the verge of a giggle. "Yeah, but she's drooling all over herself." That was Tori's voice and Jade's eyes slammed open, her hand rising to her mouth. "I knew you weren't actually asleep." Tori was grinning, kneeling next to Jade's shoulders.

"Fuck off, Vega," Jade mumbled. Tori leaned back as Jade sat up. She glanced around and noticed that the sky had turned about five various shades of orange and red with a hint of purple, the sun disappearing beneath the horizon. "Where are your boyfriends?"

"Who?" Cat asked.

"Tommy and Chris left. They invited us out to dinner, but," Tori shrugged and lifted a hand to point at Jade, "you didn't really seem like you wanted to go."

"_Thomas and Christopher were just the nicest, sweetest boys I ever did meet._"

"I don't talk like that! And seriously? Drool."

Jade curled her fingers around the cuff of her sleeve and wiped at her mouth. "Move so I can get up." Tori and Jade both got to their feet, each bending over to brush sand off their legs. Cat was holding her shoes in one hand and Sir Hops-A-Lot in the other, turning gently from side to side and causing the bottom of her dress to sway. "We're leaving now," Jade said bluntly as she picked her boots up out of the sand.

"That's kinda why we woke you up," Tori sighed as she grabbed her own shoes.

"But the ferris wheel!" Cat threw the arm holding the frog out to point behind her. Her bottom lip jutted out and her eyebrows turned up, a pout covering every inch of her face. Tori opened her mouth, looking like she was going to protest, but Cat's lip started to tremble and Tori just turned to Jade instead.

"Ten minutes for the ferris wheel?"

"Please, Jade?" Everything about Cat was pleading: her voice, her eyes, the way her arms had clutched that stupid fucking frog to her chest for comfort in case Jade said no.

"Ten minutes." Jade strode off through the sand, not even looking to see if they were following her.

She had no idea how they convinced her to get in the stupid bucket. Carnival rides like that made her nervous. All rickety movements and groaning metal. She'd heard about rides that hadn't been put together properly, or were just old, and how people got hurt and died. She'd even seen a picture of some guy who took a rod through the stomach in a ferris wheel accident. She didn't trust them, but she was sitting in one anyway. It had probably been Cat's pouting and the hint of tears in her eyes, or how Tori was staring at her like she had a heart of steel because she was making Cat upset. That was probably it. She kept her eyes focused on the roof of a building as the wheel turned and their bucket climbed in the air, trying not to notice how the roof kept getting smaller and darker and farther away.

"It's so beautiful," Tori sighed. Jade squinted, forcing her eyes to stay on that roof.

"It looks pretend. Like a dream," Cat murmured. Tori sighed again, the quiet, peaceful kind where all you can do is breath and bask in whatever you're feeling or looking at.

"Ow!" Tori cried and Jade's eyes ripped away from the roof to the other side of the bucket. "Why'd you pinch me?"

Tori was rubbing her arm and Cat shrugged. "I wanted to make sure it wasn't a dream. That it was real."

"Then you should pinch yourself," Jade said quietly. She meant it to be harsher, more vicious since Cat and Tori made her look away from her focus point, but when she turned to see what had happened, she got an eye full of ocean and the dark blue of the sky as night chased the last streaks of red over its edge. It was hard to look at the ocean like that and not wonder if it actually just stopped and the world dropped off in a harsh edge. Or if it continued forever and there actually wasn't anything on the other side. Just more open water and nothingness trying to race the sun to the west.

Tori was staring at her again with that look on her face. Her eyes soft and the ghost of a smile pulling at her lips. Jade had no idea what she had done, or if she had done anything at all, but Tori looked proud again. It made her uncomfortable. As if sensing Jade's thought, Tori shook her head lightly, almost amused, and turned back around. She folded her arms over the edge of the seat and rested her chin in the crook of her elbow to stare at the sunset. Cat was almost matching her position, except that the frog was tucked between her chin and her arms, and her arms and her body. Jade's eyes shifted between the two of them. Cat looked calm and happy. Tori looked beautifully at peace. They both looked like they were watching as some sort of magic happened in front of them.

But it was just a sunset. It happened every day and it wasn't magic. Jade turned back around in her seat and tried to find that roof again. She couldn't though because the look on Tori's face had been burned into her vision and it was all she could see. Yeah. Tori wasn't her friend like Cat was. Whatever Tori was couldn't be summed up so easily.

By the time the ferris wheel came back down it was dark. There was only a hint of light left in the sky. Cat was dragging her feet as they walked back to the car, her face snuggled up in the frog's head, the excitement from the day leaving her drained. A small smile was playing on Tori's lips. Her arm kept brushing against Jade's as they all headed down the street. "Today was so fun," Cat said quietly, her eyes rising from the sidewalk to look at her friends. Some sort of grunt rumbled in Jade's throat, neither agreement nor dissent. Tori's smile stretched into a grin.

"It was, Cat." Tori threw her arm around the petite girl's shoulders and pulled her close. "I'm glad you suggested it." Tori started to lift her other arm but Jade gave a sharp shake of her head.

"Don't even think about it, Vega."

"Okay, Jade." Tori's arm dropped back to her side.

She'd been saying that all day. Just a simple "Okay, Jade" in a tone that suggested she was almost amused by her. Even though Jade didn't think she was doing anything funny. It was like Tori was humoring her, like she knew something Jade didn't and was just kind of going along with some charade so as not to upset the balance they seem to have struck. It was something Beck did, just blindly following down whatever path Jade set out, and she hated it. Although, she thought as they entered the parking lot and Cat sighed with relief at the sight of the car, Beck never sounded amused by Jade. He sounded tired and worn out by her. And he absolutely never looked at her like he was proud of her.

Jade unlocked the car. Tori took shotgun and Cat sprawled out in the back seat, using Sir Hops-A-Lot for a pillow. As soon as the car rumbled to life Cat was out; her eyes shut tight, her knees curled up under her dress, her lips slightly parted and her breathing soft and steady. Tori glanced over her shoulder as Jade pulled out of the parking lot. "I guess we wore her out today, huh?"

"Yeah," Jade replied flatly. "She's like a toddler. Or a puppy."

"Or a kitten," Tori countered, shooting Jade a smirk.

Jade ignored the comment and turned the radio on, keeping the volume low. Tori took the hint and neither of them spoke for the entire drive back to Cat's house. It wasn't an awkward silence. Just quiet. Jade switched the radio station a few times, and Cat shifted in her sleep, but that was about it. Tori kept the side of her head pressed against the glass, watching as streetlights and other cars passed them by. Jade was extra cautious when she switched lanes or made turns, fully aware of the body shifting in the backseat each time. Her eyes darted to the rearview mirror often, checking to make sure that Cat was okay. Jade caught Tori glancing at her every time she did it, her eyes lit up with that same proud look.

They were only a few minutes from Cat's house when Jade broke the silence. "How are you getting home?"

"I might just take the bus," Tori shrugged, not seeming bothered in the slightest. "Trina's probably asleep already, my dad's been working like crazy and my mom's spending the night at her sister's."

Jade's eyebrows drew together. "It's night time." Tori turned her head, giving Jade a 'duh' sort of look. "There's all sorts of… hooligans on the bus at night."

"'Hooligans'? Really?" Tori laughed and turned back to the window. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

"I wasn't worried."

"Okay, Jade."

Her hands tightened around the steering wheel as she turned onto Cat's street. Tori unbuckled and twisted as she brought her knees up onto the seat. She leaned over the bench seat to wake up Cat. There were murmurs and whispers and then Tori was sitting back down and Cat's head popped up in the rearview mirror. "Oh no! Did I sleep the whole way home?"

"You were asleep before we got out of the parking lot," Jade said with a pointed look.

Cat's eyebrows drew together and the corners of her mouth turned down. "We didn't even get to play a game."

Tori chuckled and looked over her shoulder. "I'm sure Sikowitz will make us do something crazy and fun in class tomorrow." Cat nodded and seemed to cheer up a bit. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Jade's neck from behind.

"Thanks for coming, Jade, and for driving."

"Yeah, whatever." Jade patted her arm awkwardly until she let go.

Cat turned and did the same thing to Tori, who reached up and wrapped an arm around Cat's shoulders. "Thanks for coming, Tori. Get home safe, 'kay?" Tori nodded as Cat let go. She sank back into the seat, picked up her frog, and with a quick wave slid out of the car and shut the door behind her.

Tori turned to Jade. "Thanks for driv-"

"Put your fucking seatbelt on." Tori blinked slowly but then did as she was told. Jade shifted the car into drive and pulled away from Cat's house.

As unobtrusive as the silence was during the drive to Cat's house was exactly how awkward it was during the drive to Tori's. Jade wasn't sure why she'd decided to drive her home. Tori didn't live that far from Cat. It would've been a quick bus ride. Well, as quick as public transportation could be. Jade shook her head. It was a repeat of the night before. She was tense, like she was waiting for something. Only Tori wasn't asking a question. She was just sitting there, her hands folded in her lap, staring out the window. "Why are you just sitting there?"

Tori opened her mouth and then closed it again, turning confused eyes on Jade. "Because we're in a car? I didn't know I was supposed to be doing something else."

Dammit. The tension was quickly spinning itself into frustration inside Jade. "No. Why aren't you asking questions? Why haven't you asked questions all day? Why have you just been… _sitting_ there."

Tori sighed and brought a hand to her head, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Jade, do you want to talk about something?"

"No."

"Really? Because you keep shooting me these looks like you're terrified I'm going to start harassing you for answers."

"That doesn't mean I want to talk."

"I think it might."

"Can it, Vega."

"Okay, Jade."

"Goddammit!" Jade slammed on the brakes and swerved to the side of the road, her seatbelt locking and digging into her shoulder. Tori's hands flew out, grabbing onto the dashboard in front of her. "That! What the fuck is that about?"

"You mean you almost killing us?" Tori wasn't angry, but there was a touch of hysteria in her voice.

"No, the fucking "_Why, yes, Jade, of course, Jade, whatever you say, Jade_!""

"I don't talk like that! And what am I supposed to say? You don't want to talk about anything! You don't even want to admit that I exist! What else am I supposed to do except go along with whatever insane game you're playing?"

"I don't know, maybe have an opinion about something? Maybe say what you're actually thinking? You were all gung-ho last night, Vega, so come on!"

"Fine! I have absolutely no idea what's going on! I'm confused and I'm hurt and all I want is for you to talk to me and explain!"

They were both screaming, voices matched in volume and intensity. Jade could hear her blood pounding, feel it coursing through her. "Well I'm confused too! And I have no idea how to explain it!"

Jade had never seen Tori look like that before. Like she might actually be capable of physical violence. Tori turned back in her seat and stared straight out the windshield. "Take me home." The command in her voice had Jade's body responding before her mind even processed what the girl had said. Her foot was easing off the brake and sliding over to the gas as her eyes glanced in the side mirror and her brain was just stalled out, a useless lump in her skull. Neither of them looked at the other. Neither of them said anything. Jade's heart was still pounding, a cocktail of adrenaline and frustration and something else surging through her veins. "Get out," Tori commanded when they pulled up in front of her house.

"You can't make me-"

"Get. Out."

Jade was turning the car off and pulling the keys out of the ignition before Tori even unbuckled. They both got out and Tori pointed to the house. Jade refused to move and Tori rounded the front of the car, grabbed Jade's arm, and pulled her up the driveway. Instead of bringing her to the front door, Tori dragged her off to the side, around the house, and to the backyard. Jade's eyes grew wide but Tori hauled Jade straight across the grass, around the pool, and to the corner of the fence. "Sit." Jade folded her arms across her stomach, her keys jingling, still clutched in her hand. Tori gave her one look of warning and Jade rolled her eyes.

"I'm sitting because I want to," she said, dropping to the ground, her knees bent and her legs crossing.

"Okay, Jade," Tori replied, sitting down in front of her. "Now that we've established that, talk." Jade rolled her eyes. It was stupid. She didn't want to talk. She didn't want to be there and she didn't know why she'd allowed herself to be dragged into Tori Fucking Vega's backyard. She cast her eyes up to the sky to avoid looking at Tori. It was exactly like she remembered. A few stars scattered in random constellations, some real and some made up because the actual constellations weren't visible and so Tori and Jade would just make them up. The night was humming. It invaded Jade's ears and crept into her brain, where it seemed to spread through her entire nervous system. She could feel it in the tips of her fingers. The hum that turned into a glow as the grass came to life with fireflies. And then her mouth was moving and making sounds and she shook her head to make it stop, but it wouldn't.

"I told you last night. When you first came to Hollywood Arts all I saw was something that I didn't want to remember. Not you, but everything you represented."

"Your parents."

"No shit." The glow left Jade in an instant. Like a switch was hit and cut it off. She was just exhausted and lonely and a little cold. "Look, Vega-"

"No. You wanted me to say what I was thinking so I get to talk now." Jade blinked and tried not to show her surprise as Tori continued. "I think you're stupid. And kind of an idiot. And I get why you see them when you look at me, I do. But that's like me saying I think of Trina when I look at you because there's some weird crossover in my memory with the two of you. But you're not her, and I'm not your parents. I'm Tori."

"I know that."

"Then act like it," she said sharply. "Treat me like I'm the Tori who drew you pictures and built blanket castles-"

"Forts."

"-with you. Don't treat me with the same indifference you pretend to have for them. I know you, Jade, and this isn't you."

Jade had to scoff. "You don't fucking know me."

"Oh yes I fucking do." Hearing Tori cuss is what got her attention. Just like it had when Jade read that detention slip. Tori didn't swear, she never did. And that struck a discordant note in Jade, just like seeing Tori jump off the swings had. It meant that Tori really had changed, at least a little bit. Or maybe she had just grown up, but really they were the same thing. Tori looked like she wanted to reach out but was stopping herself. Another thing that had changed. The old Tori would never hesitate to comfort Jade, she would just do it. Although Jade saw a flash of the old Tori when she'd been forced on that ride earlier. It was confusing. Like the two versions of Tori that Jade had in her mind were clashing. And each one would look like it was taking dominance, but then the other would make a comeback and the fight was even again. "You're still the same, Jade. You're just trying really hard not to be."

Maybe Tori saw Jade the same way Jade saw her. Clashing ideas of who they were and who they were trying to be. Jade just wasn't sure which version of Tori was going to win. Shit, she didn't know which version of herself was going to win. She was like two sides of a flipped coin. Heads. Tails. Heads. Tails as it spun and descended and she had no idea of the outcome. Because there were times where it was easy with Tori. Where it felt like they were kids again and it made sense that Tori was by her side, discussing a paper or eating lunch together or spending an entire fucking day at the beach with her and Cat and it felt right. But then there were times where all she did was look at Tori and she would hear her mother screaming to her father about how Jade was so messed up from all their fighting that she was practically running away to join a different family. And Jade hated Tori for being another cause of argument. And it wasn't fair, because Tori couldn't help it and it wasn't her fault, but it happened. And even if Jade hadn't been spending as much time as possible at the Vega's her parents would have found something else to argue about anyway, and that thought always brought her back to the start. Heads. Tails.

Jade had no idea when Tori took her keys from her, or when exactly she had started crying. She didn't even realize when Tori stood up and walked away, returning with a blanket tucked under one arm and the folded up mess that was that fucking tent under the other. But then Tori was tugging lightly on her arm and Jade was stumbling forward and then a blanket was being pulled over her and Jade's arm was around Tori and she had no idea what was going on except that she was running from the world and hiding out with her best friend. Jade couldn't think of a word strong enough to describe the deluge of emotion that flooded her mind and cascaded down through her body. There was pressure in her chest and her lungs stuttered and Tori's face was right next to hers, telling her to breathe, and she couldn't think of what that meant or how to do it because there was so much other shit going on and didn't Tori realize that? Didn't she feel what had just happened? They were camped out and counting stars and catching fireflies and swearing on ridiculous things to always be friends and Jade felt like she was ten years old again. Only she wasn't actually ten anymore. And even though the feelings were exactly the same as they'd always been, Jade had grown up and understood them completely, in a way she never could as a kid. As realization dawned on her, as quickly and as brightly as the shooting star she had once made a wish on, her heart stopped beating completely. It didn't skip. It didn't speed up. It stopped. And there was a hollow thud somewhere deep inside of her as her coin landed. A shaky breath rattled its way out of her lungs and then every organ slammed back into function and that hum, that glow, was in her fingertips again.

It had a mind of its own. It was reaching out for Tori, trailing up and down her arm, sliding over her shoulders and tracing down her spine, dragging Jade's hands helplessly along in its wake. Like it was searching for something, or maybe trying to make sure that Tori was real. Because it had been so long since that hum, that glow, had found them both together that it almost felt like a dream. Tori felt like a dream right then. Like Jade had only imagined every moment they'd ever shared, because Jade didn't make wishes, but it felt like the only one she ever had was finally coming true, and it was hard to believe. There was a moment, when the glow found a resting place right around Tori's hips, where it jumped ship. And then it was in Tori's fingertips, sliding across Jade's ribs and wrapping around her back, and Jade breathed.

Jade didn't like hugs. She didn't like cuddling. She didn't like the pressure of someone else's body against hers. But there, in that fucking tent with Tori's face tucked into her neck and their arms wrapped around each other, under a warm blanket made up of the hum that turns into a glow when fireflies come to life, Jade slept easily.

She left as soon as she woke up. Fumbling around the tent in the pre-dawn darkness for her keys. She stumbled through the yard, almost falling in the pool, and out to her car. She drove home in a daze, shadows of Tori's arms still clinging to her ribs. It was comforting as she walked into her house and up to her room and sat on her bed, hunched over a notebook. And she did what Andre had said to do, and she was honest. Terrified… but truthful.

**A/N Heeey there, everybody. So uh, that was that. I can't tell you how hard the end of this chapter was to write. I've written about four different versions, and none of them feel right. This is, however, the least wrong. And I could have written like four more versions, but I don't think I'd ever get it exactly how I want it. Oh well.**

**As always, thank you for the review/alerts/favorites/etc. Feel free to click that button down there and let me know what you thought. Good, bad, or indifferent, I'd love to hear it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Holy chizzballs, sorry about the delay in updating. I know it's been a really long time since the last update, but I hope this still fits with the flow of the story. I've got the next chapter started so feel free to drop a review and tell me if I should hurry up with it or go back to not updating again.  
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**I won't distract you anymore, so on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: Even after all this time I still don't own Victorious.**

To say Tori was even more confused than before would be an understatement. She woke up, cold and alone, in a tent in her backyard with no idea of how she got there. But as she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, everything came flooding back. And then she was clawing out of the tent and scrambling to her feet and calling out Jade's name like the girl would be lounging in one of the chairs on her patio with a cup of coffee and the morning newspaper. She wasn't, of course, and Tori trudged into her house, her back a little sore from sleeping on the ground and her hands feeling unusually empty. Trina was singing to herself, standing in front of the stove and scraping scrambled eggs from a pan onto a plate. Tori grabbed the plate and walked to the cutlery drawer. She pulled out a fork, ignoring Trina's protesting cries, and sat down at the table. She was starving, and eggs were just about the only thing her sister could actually cook. Trina huffed and Tori didn't pay her any attention. A minute later Trina plopped down on the chair next to her sister.

"You're welcome," Trina said as she started eating a bowl of cereal. Tori waved her off. "Why do you look like you spent the night in a bush?" Tori glanced at her and then turned her attention back to her breakfast, which was quickly disappearing. "Did you actually sleep in a bush? Seriously, you've got twigs in your hair."

Tori slapped her sister's roaming hand away from her head. "I don't wanna talk about it, Trina."

"Geez. Fine." They ate in silence for a few minutes and Tori stood up when she had finished. She walked her plate over to the sink and dropped it in. The clatter of the dish against the metal of the sink seemed to shake her from her senses. She didn't even know what time it was. She glanced at the clock on the stove and sighed. Great. She had like ten minutes to get ready and, as she lifted a hand to her hair and felt tangles and what was undoubtedly a stick of some sort, she had a lot of work to do.

They were late to school. Tori hijacked Trina's keys to make sure she didn't leave without her. Trina had spent ten minutes banging on the bathroom door trying to get Tori to hurry up, and then another ten banging on her bedroom door as Tori got changed and gathered her things. They were only twenty minutes late, but Trina had spent the entire car ride in a panic, yelling at Tori about responsibility and preparedness and how horrible everyone was driving, even though it was Trina swerving in and out of lanes as she sped through the streets.

Tori didn't even stop at her locker; she just went straight to Sikowitz's class. And of course Sikowitz made a big deal about her missing almost half of class. "I'm really sorry, I overslept," Tori said as she took her normal seat. Andre and Cat both gave her strange looks from across the classroom and Tori tried not to notice how Jade was refusing to look at her.

"Ah, yes, slumber," Sikowitz said dramatically as he paced slowly on the small stage. "The body's best friend and productivity's arch-nemesis." He spent the rest of class waxing poetic about sleep and Tori was glad when the bell rang.

"You okay, Tori?" Cat asked as they headed to second period together.

"Yeah," Tori mumbled wearily. "Maybe. No. I don't know." Cat patted her shoulder sympathetically as they walked into math.

Tori's head was a mess. She tried to pay attention in class, but she just couldn't focus. She was too wrapped up in Jade, trying to figure out what exactly had happened over the weekend. Saturday night had been weird, that much she was sure of. From whatever strange reaction her body had in the theater, to whatever the heck went on in the pizza parlor, and then the even weirder car ride. Tori just couldn't figure it out. Because Sunday, up until the car ride home, had been fine. She could see Jade was stuck in her head all day at the beach, so Tori let her be. Jade West was a warzone and Tori was waiting to take her next step, just watching with an amused fascination as Jade threw up barbed wire fences and spiked trenches and all sorts of defense mechanisms throughout the day. But then Jade had gotten mad, and they had both raised their voices and then something had taken over Tori and they ended up in her backyard. And every single mine had exploded. Tori hadn't moved, she didn't think she had, at least. It was like a shockwave had just rippled through the ground under her feet, a small earthquake, and set a detonation off. Then there was a chain reaction and Tori was just left standing there, shrapnel everywhere, surrounded by huge pits and craters of exploded ground. And Jade had cried and clung to Tori like she was the only thing left in the world and Tori had absolutely no idea how to proceed across the wasteland to get to her.

Andre was weird during fourth period. He kept glancing at Tori, she felt his eyes on him all through class, but whenever she would look at him his head just snapped back to the teacher. It was the same thing during lunch. His eyes would dart from whoever he was talking to and find Tori, and then as soon as she looked up his attention would be focused on Robbie or Cat or Beck. And Tori's gaze would just drift back to the empty seat at the table because Jade hadn't bothered to sit with them. Tori hadn't seen Jade at all since Sikowitz's. Not in the halls, not at lunch, not even at her locker even though Tori made unnecessary trips to her own between classes in order to check. It wasn't until screenwriting that Tori saw her again. Tori was sitting by the window, as always, but instead of watching the street outside, she was staring at the door, waiting. She heard Jade's boots in the hallway before she saw her, and Tori's heart stuttered before resuming its normal beat as Jade walked into class. Jade's eyes were focused on the floor, never once looking up. And then Tori's heart started beating a little faster, because Jade was walking down the aisle right next to hers. "Move," Jade growled at the girl in the seat next to Tori. Without hesitation the girl was scrambling out of the desk, her backpack and notebook flapping behind her as she fled. Jade slid into the seat, never once looking at Tori, and pulled her notebook out of her bag before setting it on the ground by her feet. Jade flipped through her notes until she reached a blank page and then she was staring straight ahead at the chalkboard.

Tori blinked and turned her attention to the teacher as he started talking. If she was easily distracted by Jade when she was on the other side of the room, then Tori had a complete attention deficit when Jade was right next to her. Every little move Jade made had Tori's eyes snapping to the left. If Jade took a note, or flipped her hair back, or shifted in her seat, or breathed, really, Tori saw it. Jade didn't seem to mind, though. There were usually signs of her frustration when Tori stared at her; the muscles in her jaw tightening, her hand clenching into a fist around her pencil, a hard glare in her eyes as she tried to ignore Tori. But there was nothing. Jade almost seemed relaxed. She didn't look at Tori once, or acknowledge her in any way, but she didn't seem to care that Tori's eyes were on her more than their teacher. She still ran from the room as soon as the bell rang, and Tori was left dazed and confused just like always.

Tori was working with Cat and Andre during their vocal class. The teacher had set everyone another song and told them to break into groups and rehearse. It was a pattern with her, so she could easily focus on one or two students at a time, but Tori didn't usually mind. She did that day because all Cat could talk about was how much fun she had at the beach and Andre kept shooting Tori those same looks. Like he could tell that she wasn't entirely there. That her mind was off in some other place. "Wait, you guys spent all day at the beach with Jade?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, it was super fun! Tori even won me a frog!" Cat laughed and her hands clapped together in excitement.

Andre turned to Tori. "All day?"

"All day," Tori answered, looking at the sheet music in front of her.

"And she didn't kill either of you?"

"We're still alive, aren't we?" Tori glanced up at him and smiled as he shook his head.

"Man, something's gotten into that girl," Andre chuckled lightly. "She was even _nice_ to me in songwriting."

Their heads all turned as their teacher walked by. "If you guys can't work on the assignment then you can't work together anymore. Focus," she said with a stern look as she moved on to the next group. They all nodded sheepishly and turned their attention back to the song they were supposed to be practicing.

Tori was exhausted by the time her last class was over. She'd developed a weird twinge in her lower back, probably from sleeping on the ground the night before, and she just wanted to go home and take a nap. She dragged her feet through the hallways, plodding along through the crowd of students. She opened her locker with one hand and dropped her eyes to her bag, sorting through what needed to go home with her and what could just stay at school. She pulled a book out and threw it in her locker, tossing a few notebooks in afterwards. And then her head jerked up as something grazed past her hair. She raised an arm and carefully pulled the paper plane out of her locker. She turned it over in her hands, as if checking that it was real, and then her fingers actually ripped the paper in her haste to open it. And there, in a grown up version of the scrawl she would know anywhere, was a message. '_Meet me by my car_'.

Tori spun around, her eyes scouring the hallway for any sign of Jade, but she couldn't see her anywhere. Tori slammed her locker shut and hauled butt out of the building. She was practically running out through the Asphalt Café and to the parking lot. She slowed to a brisk walk when she saw Jade leaning casually against the back of her car, one foot propped up on the bumper and her hands absent mindedly playing with her keys. Jade's head turned slightly as Tori approached. She kicked off the car and threw a thumb over her shoulder. "Get in."

Tori nodded and walked around to the passenger's side as Jade slipped into the driver's seat. Tori had no idea what was happening, but had long since given up trying to understand the situation with Jade. She set her bag on the floor by her feet and closed the door. "Where are we going?" she asked as she buckled up.

Jade started the car and looked over her shoulder as she backed out. "You don't get to kidnap me and hold me hostage all night without a little payback," Jade said darkly.

Tori had no idea what that meant, and she was about to point out that she had neither kidnapped nor held Jade hostage, but there was a shadow of a smirk tugging at Jade's mouth. It was barbed wire, carelessly put up. Jade was doing it because she felt she needed to, but there were gaps. It was the same shoddy defense Jade had at the beach, and Tori figured she would humor her. "Okay, Jade. Revenge away," Tori sighed, settling in for the ride to wherever they were going.

Jade turned on the radio and switched through stations until she settled on some loud rock, and then she turned the volume up so high that it hurt Tori's ears. Tori pulled her phone out and sent a text to Trina to let her know she wasn't going home and Trina responded a moment later with 'whatever'. Tori cringed as a guitar shrieked through a solo and Jade's fingers tapped away on the steering wheel. The song ended and another one started up and Tori still had no idea where they were going as she shoved her phone back in her bag. It was twenty minutes later when Jade made a turn and pulled into a parking space on the side of the road. Tori glanced around, trying to figure out where they were or what they might be doing as Jade turned off the car, effectively killing the radio. Without saying a word, Jade got out of the car and Tori did the same. There was a ringing in her ears from the sudden silence as she shut her door. She heard the thunk of the locks retracting as Jade hit a button, then the slamming of Jade's door, and then Jade was crossing the street and Tori followed quickly after. "Where are we going?" Tori asked again as she stepped up to Jade's side, the girl setting a brisk pace.

Jade just raised a hand and pointed ahead of them. There were some trees on the edge of a sidewalk that curved away from the road and through a nice looking lawn. Tori followed in Jade's wake as they walked through the park. It was nice, Tori thought as her eyes roamed in the afternoon sunlight. Lots of trees and flowers and benches. There were people scattered around, lying on blankets on the lawn and leaning up against trees. It was really nice and Tori had no idea why Jade had brought her there. Neither of them said anything. Jade was moving with purpose, like she had a destination in mind and wasn't going to break focus until she got there. Tori was trailing along behind her, enjoying the smell of the flowers and freshly cut grass and the distinct smell that came from stagnant water. It wasn't bad, just still. Tori's nose scrunched up as Jade led her towards a large pond. They walked around its edge for a few minutes until Jade roughly dropped at the base of a large tree. Tori glanced around before sitting down to the right of Jade. Something was tugging at the back of her mind. Something important. Tori watched as a few ducks bobbed around in the water, adorable and carefree. "Jade," Tori started to say before the other girl cut her off.

"My dad used to bring me here."

Cogs clicked together, wheels turned, and Tori remembered. Jade had told her about this place when they were kids. She talked about it all the time. About how her dad brought her and they fed the ducks and had late breakfast on lazy Sundays. And then Jade stopped talking about it. Right around the time she stopped talking about anything. A little kid was on the other side of the pond, throwing chunks of bread into the water, occasionally shoving some into his own mouth. His parents were sitting in the grass nearby, watching him. They looked happy. Like a normal family. Tori wondered if Jade looked that happy when she was there with her dad.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Tori just watched the water and waited. There was a reason Jade brought her there and Tori could wait and find out what it was. She heard the sound of grass being ripped from the ground but she didn't look at what Jade was doing. Tori didn't even look at her when she started talking.

"This is where he told me. About the divorce." A green clump flew into the water and landed with a plunk. "He hadn't brought me in ages and I was so excited. I thought things would be normal again and he just…" Another clump of dirt flew clear across to the other side of the pond. "Gave up." Tori's eyebrow arched but she still didn't look at Jade. She wasn't sure why. It just didn't feel right. It felt like it would be harder for Jade to talk if Tori actually acknowledged that she was listening. So she sat and her eyes followed blades of grass and roots of weeds and clumps of dirt as they soared into the water. Jade let out a heavy sigh and there was weight in her voice when she spoke. "I missed you yesterday."

Tori bent her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She leaned forward, her cheek resting against her knees. Her head was turned to the left towards Jade, but she wasn't looking at her. She kept her eyes focused on a man on a bench with a book in his hands. "I was with you all day yesterday. And part of the night, since you ran out while I was asleep."

Jade's mouth curled into a smirk that quickly faded. "That's not what I meant," she scoffed. A small smile graced Tori's lips. She hadn't meant her comment as an innuendo, but it sort of sounded like one. More grass was ripped from the ground. "Being with you yesterday reminded me of when we were kids. But the good things. Not the shitty parent things. And it made me realize that I've missed that. Having," Jade paused and gestured vaguely with her hand in Tori's direction, "_you_. Around. Maybe."

Tori was quiet for a minute before she looked at Jade, her eyebrows knitting together. Jade looked like a scared little kid. Like she was on the verge of just running away because she was terrified of something. Of what might happen. Tori's mouth turned down in a frown. Jade really was that little kid still, always stuck in flight mode. Her parents' fighting had always sent her running to Tori for safety. But now Tori was the threat, and not so safe anymore. So Jade was stuck halfway between fight and flight. Unsure and anxious. Tori's features softened into a small smile and comforting eyes. "I've missed you too, Jade. I was closer to you than I've ever been with anyone else."

Jade's eyes darted to Tori and then back to the ground. "Yeah," she mumbled. "Me too. With you. I guess." She shrugged as she spoke; trying to play it cool, but Tori saw the panic ebb from her eyes.

"Okay, Jade." Tori grinned and the corner of Jade's mouth twitched. Tori peeled her left arm off her leg and held her hand out. Jade blinked at it and then gave Tori an incredulous stare. Tori's grin widened and she wiggled her fingers.

Jade rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous. I'm not holding your hand."

Tori just stretched her hand even farther out. "C'mon. You know you want to." There was a tense moment where Jade just glared at her, and Tori thought about retracting her hand, but then Jade cracked. She turned her head away with a huff, an attempt to negate the meaning of her next action, as her right hand smacked into Tori's palm and held on. "See?" Tori asked as she squeezed Jade's hand. "That wasn't so hard."

"Never speak of this," Jade grumbled and kept her gaze averted. Tori beamed as Jade's fingers slipped into the spaces between her own.

"Okay, Jade," Tori chuckled and let their joined hands fall into the grass between them.

It was several silent minutes later before either of them spoke. A silence had settled, and Tori didn't think it was her place to break it. The park was Jade's place. Jade and her dad, and Tori felt like an intruder in the space. She was glad that Jade seemed to be taking steps towards opening up. Towards resolving whatever issue she'd created between them. Tori smiled to herself as Jade's thumb trailed across the back of her hand.

"I never meant to cut you out of my life like that," Jade said quietly.

"I didn't think it was intentional," Tori responded honestly. She turned her head a little and saw Jade watching her intently, an inscrutable look in her eyes. "You had a lot of stuff going on."

Jade's eyebrows twitched together and then smoothed out. "I'm still sorry though. For that and how I've been acting since you came to school."

Tori covered her surprise at Jade's apology with a small shrug. "You were going through a lot. I understand that."

"It doesn't excuse me being such a… _gank_ about it all."

Tori chuckled at the almost pained look on Jade's face as she spoke. "Eh," she squeezed Jade's hand, "it's to be expected since you are kind of a gank."

"Yeah, yeah. Rub it in." Jade rolled her eyes and tried to tug her hand away from Tori, who just tightened her grip. "Jeez, you're gonna crush my hand." Jade's mouth turned up in a smirk and she squeezed Tori's hand back.

"Cry me a river." Tori grinned and turned her head to look back out to the water. They fell into an easy silence, the air around them filled with the sound of the breeze in the trees and the ducks in the water. It was peaceful and calm and Tori understood why Jade would have loved going there as a kid. "So do you still come here a lot?"

Jade's hand tensed in Tori's. "No. Not since… well Saturday was the first time I've been since…" Tori nodded quickly, showing that she understood and Jade didn't need to actually say it. Jade gave her a small, grateful nod in return before continuing. "I like it, but it just has some bad memories attached to it. It's just not exactly happy anymore. But I'm trying to get past that, because I really do like it."

Their eyes met and Tori's brows drew together as Jade held her gaze. She wasn't just talking about the park. Or the pond. And Tori knew that. Jade was trying, with her, and taking Tori to that park was a way of showing it. It was a sign of effort, and a big one at that. Tori gulped at the intense look in Jade's eyes and nodded slowly. "Thank you."

Jade's eyes grew wide and then she pulled her gaze away with a shrug. "No need to get all sappy, Vega. It's just a pond."

A sad sort of smile crept across Tori's lips. She couldn't expect miracles. "Okay, Jade."

"We should probably go," Jade said as she pulled her hand out of Tori's and got to her feet. Tori nodded and stood up, following Jade's lead. They walked back to the car, Tori's fingers twitching every time her hand or arm grazed Jade's. After it happened a few times Jade folded her arms over her stomach and then Tori did the same. They waited on the sidewalk as a couple of cars drove by and then crossed the street. Jade walked around to the passenger's side, pulling her keys out of her pocket. She unlocked the door and opened it. Tori stood for a minute, Jade not meeting her eyes. And then Tori sighed and stepped forward, her arms rising to wrap around Jade's neck. Tori wasn't sure why she did it, just that she had the urge to. Jade had brought her there, to the park that belonged _to Jade_, and Tori understood what that must've taken for her to do. Tori wanted to show that she appreciated it, that she understood the importance of the gesture. Jade tensed for a moment and then lifted an arm and patted Tori's back. Tori squeezed her harder, just like she always did when they were kids, because she didn't know when would be the next time she'd be able to. Jade gave her one more pat and then just rested her hand in the middle of Tori's back. Tori turned her head slightly as Jade's other arm wrapped around her as well. They just stood there for a minute, on the sidewalk next to the open car door, holding each other. Tori's lips barely touched Jade's cheek and then she was pulling away and getting in the car. Jade closed her door for her and walked around the back of the car to the driver's door, which Tori leaned over to unlock and open for her. They didn't talk and Jade kept the radio much quieter than she had on the drive over. Once they were stopped outside Tori's house, their eyes met briefly. Jade nodded slightly before turning away and Tori threw herself on top of her. They hadn't said much, but it was a step. It was Jade opening up, just a bit, and letting Tori in again. Jade groaned, half-heartedly, and pushed her off. "Tori, you are _banned_ from my car!"

"Okay, Jade." Tori grinned as she grabbed her bag and climbed out. She practically skipped up her driveway and into her house. Trina was in the living room practicing some dance routine when Tori walked in. "Hey, Trin," Tori said as she closed the door. Trina froze mid-movement and watched her sister hop up the stairs.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Trina stood up from the squatting position she was in and turned to face Tori, stopped on the stairs. "Where have you been?"

Tori pointed to the front door. "Out. I just got back." She pointed to the stairs and then to the ceiling. "And now I'm going to my room." She turned to continue but Trina stopped her.

"Out where? With who?" Trina was staring at her accusingly. "Was it a boy? Who is he?"

Tori rolled her eyes. "It wasn't a boy. I hung out with Jade for a bit."

Trina threw a hand out to point at her. "Aha! I knew- wait, what? _Jade_?"

"Yes," Tori said slowly. "_Jade._"

Trina stomped her foot. "Man! I knew you were gonna end up being friends with her again. This sucks!"

Tori shrugged, fighting back a grin and headed up to her room. She kicked off her sneakers and sat on her bed, setting her bag in her lap. She rifled through it and sighed. Right, she'd forgotten to take some homework out of her locker because she had gotten a little distracted by the paper plane. She pulled the note from Jade out and set it down on the comforter next to her. She smoothed it out a bit and then picked it up and placed it on her bedside table. And then she just kind of stared at it for a minute. Tori probably could have spent hours just staring at the note, thinking over any and every little thing regarding Jade. She was certainly confused enough that all she wanted to do was try and process what exactly was going on with them. Or with Jade in general, because Tori still had no clue what had happened to Jade in her backyard. They'd barely even talked and then Jade got lost in her head and as soon as Tori saw the hint of tears in her eyes she'd taken the girl's keys and decided that Jade was staying over. She'd looked… broken, almost. Tori couldn't let her just leave. Tori also didn't expect to end up falling asleep in Jade's arms. Out of all the times she'd fallen asleep next to Jade, that was the first time she'd ever fallen asleep _with_ Jade. And the first time Jade had never nudged her away.

Tori sighed and pulled her phone out of her bag. She couldn't spend every waking moment trying to dissect every little thing that Jade did or said, no matter how much she wanted to. She had other things to worry about. Like the math homework that she'd forgotten in her locker. She sent off a quick text to Cat asking if she could email her the problems they were supposed to do and she hadn't even put her phone down yet when the response of 'kay kay' popped up on her screen. Tori smiled, thanked Cat, and tossed her phone on top of Jade's note. And then spent a solid hour trying to analyze and process what it meant that Jade had brought her to that park. That Jade had willingly held her hand again and not only accepted a hug, but hugged her back. That Jade had admitted, in a roundabout way, that she was trying with them, because she missed Tori.

Tori was awake and on time for school the next morning. Far too chipper for Trina's liking, but Tori only had to endure the drive to school with her sister's grumpy attitude and then she was free from it for the rest of the day. She was sitting in Sikowitz's class next to Andre, listening to him talk about some new guitar he wanted to buy. Tori didn't understand half of the things he was saying (she wouldn't know a vibrato tailpiece from a broken tailpipe) but Beck leaned over and started asking Andre about pick-ups and specs and Tori shook her head and mentally checked out of the conversation until Sikowitz barged into the room screaming about how good it was to be alive in a day and age where machines gave away money for free.

Andre sat up in his chair. "Yeah, those are called ATMs and the money isn't free."

Sikowitz cocked his head to the side. "Then where does the money come from?"

"Your bank account," Tori said.

"Bank account? I don't have a bank account."

Tori squinted at him. "Where exactly is this free money machine?"

Sikowitz laughed and tapped the side of his nose. "Nice try, Tori, but it's staying my little secret. Now, onto today's lesson!" He hopped onto the stage with a grin on his face. "Since I'm in such a fine mood, you all will be too. Let's talk about excitement!"

There was a squeak from Cat and she clapped her hands. "Oh, I love excitement!"

"You can't be part of this exercise, Cat. You're excited all the time so it wouldn't be acting," Sikowitz pointed out. Cat looked crestfallen and Sikowitz sighed. "I'll give you an 'A' for the day anyway, how's that?" She perked up considerably and he nodded. "Excellent. Beck, Andre, Jade, get up here." Sikowitz hopped off the stage as the students took his place. "Okay, here's the scene. You're all coworkers doing one of those lottery pool things and you've just found out you've won millions and millions of dollars. Jade," Sikowitz pointed dramatically and Jade turned her bored gaze on him, "I want you to be a man because I think the voice is funny." Jade shrugged. "Beck, you're the one who bought the actual winning ticket and Andre, you… yeah. Action!"

An amused smile stole across Tori's face as Sikowitz stepped back and the stage came to life. Naturally, Tori's eyes landed on Jade. And Tori was a little mesmerized watching her. How effortlessly Jade dropped into a deep, gruff voice. How her hands were flying around in excitement. The way Jade seemed to take up the entire scene, the boys falling into almost supporting roles. Tori wasn't really surprised though. Jade always had a habit of strolling into the spotlight. Whenever they made up stories as kids, Jade would always have the best ideas, and Tori encouraged her. If they sang together, Tori's voice would quiet to let Jade's shine. Even in simple scenes and exercises in class, everyone seemed to revolve around whatever Jade would say or do. Maybe Jade didn't stroll into the spotlight. Maybe she just stood still and the spotlight gravitated towards her.

Tori had a silly grin on her face as the scene ended and the students stepped off the stage. Jade glanced at Tori out of the corner of her eye, her brows digging together and a frown tugging down her mouth as she walked back to her seat. Tori had seen that look before. Jade kept shooting it at her all day at the beach. Tori wondered what it meant, what thought Jade was having that pulled at her face like that. She tried not to turn around in her seat and stare, instead focusing as Sikowitz stepped back up on the stage and continued with class.

Lunch rolled around and Tori was the first one out to the table. She'd barely even started to eat when Beck sat down next to her. Tori gave him a small wave and he nodded in reply. She took a sip of water and placed the bottle down on the table. She'd been so wrapped up in thoughts of Jade that she'd almost forgotten about him. Not just the fact that he ended a pretty serious relationship recently, but that his girlfriend, _ex_-girlfriend, was Jade. Tori had hardly even thought about it. He looked a little worse for wear, and she felt bad. "How ya holding up?"

"I've been better. I've also been worse, so," he shrugged and took a sip of the coffee in his hand. Tori reached over and laid a hand on his arm. A small smile crept across his lips. "Thanks, Tori, but I don't need your pity. I'm fine. I'll be fine." Tori didn't miss the way he changed his words around, but she nodded and retracted her hand. He cleared his throat and put his coffee down on the table. "So have you thought about how you're going to get Cat back for her ninja attack on you?"

Tori had no idea what he was talking about, but then it hit her. The tackle at the beach. And thinking about the beach brought her mind back to Jade. Tori shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Oh! Right. No, I figure I'll just let it slide. Next time though? She's goin' down."

"I dunno, Cat can be pretty stealthy," Beck said with a shrug. And then the little redheaded ninja was plopping into the seat next to Tori, scaring the daylights out of her. Beck laughed at the look on Tori's face. "Case and point."

Tori pointed an accusing finger at him. "You saw her coming, didn't you?"

"I might've," he grinned.

Tori shook her head and narrowed her eyes in an attempt at intimidation. "You're on my list, Oliver. Watch out."

The three of them fell into an easy conversation, Tori trying to convince Beck that she could be scary, and Cat just kind of giggling away at the ridiculous idea. Robbie joined them and then Tori was outnumbered so she quickly changed the subject. It wasn't until about half way through lunch that anyone noticed they were missing part of their group. "Hey, where are Jade and Andre?" Tori asked, turning in her seat to look around at the other tables.

"I saw them talking in the hall right before lunch?" Cat looked over her shoulder, her eyebrows turning up in confusion.

"Andre's helping her with some project for their songwriting class," Beck said, stealing a fry from Robbie's lunch. He must have seen Tori's surprised face because he shrugged as he popped the fry in his mouth. "I was shocked, too. Jade doesn't really ask for help."

"That's not true," Cat said as the others all turned to her. "There was the time she couldn't fit her boobs in that costume and needed my help."

Tori's lips parted and her forehead creased. "How exactly-"

"I'd rather not hear about Cat feeling up my ex-girlfriend," Beck said bluntly.

"Why not?" Robbie asked before clamping a hand over his mouth at the look Beck shot him. He mumbled out a 'sorry' and turned his attention to the rest of his lunch. Beck changed the topic and Cat chatted away at her side, but Tori's mind wandered and before she knew it the bell rang and they were all standing up to head to their afternoon classes.

Tori sat in her screenwriting class, waiting like always for Jade to walk into the classroom. It had become a habit of hers. She'd stare out the window to have something to look at other than the doorway, but her eyes always darted away when she heard someone walk in. A girl walked down the aisle, pausing when she saw Tori. It was the same girl Jade had kicked out of her seat the day before. The girl glanced at Tori, and then the desk next to her, and then walked to the end of the aisle. Tori rolled her eyes and sighed as several other students did the same thing. Great. Jade seemed to have marked Tori as her territory and no one seemed willing to sit anywhere near her. The seats in front of and behind her were the last to be filled, with the exception of the one right next to her. Which Jade claimed as soon as she walked in. Jade dropped her bag on the desk and sat down as Tori leaned over in her seat. "You've made me a pariah."

"Think you did that on your own, Vega," Jade grumbled, not looking away from her bag as she pulled out her notebook and a pencil.

Tori sighed and sat back in her seat as the teacher shut the door and started class. She spent the whole class stealing glances at Jade. And Jade would never look back, or meet her eyes, but there were silent communications. She would arch an eyebrow, or her lips would twitch into a smirk, like she was waiting for Tori to say something or explain why she was staring. Tori would just look away, either at the teacher or her notes, and Jade would give a slightly exasperated shake of her head and Tori's staring would start all over. It was so hot and cold with Jade. Either they were hanging out together and things were fine, or Jade was ignoring her and refusing to meet her gaze. Tori didn't understand it. She had really thought that after the past few days, especially after the park, Jade would be warming up more. Opening up more. Letting her in. But she seemed to be a pendulum swinging back and forth between extremes. Tori wished that she would just stop and settle.

Tori didn't get a chance to talk to Andre or Cat during their vocal class. Their teacher was keeping a close eye on them, seeming to circle their group as she worked with the others and Tori knew it was because they usually talked instead of working on the assignment, but she was still a little annoyed by it. Because Andre's gaze kept drifting to Tori and she wanted to ask him why he had that look in his eyes like he had never seen her before. By the end of the day she was determined to ask him about it. After all, he had said that she could talk to him about anything at any time, and she wanted to talk to him about that. She approached him at his locker after the last bell of the day with determination. "Hey, Andre."

"Hey, Tori, what's up?"

"What are you doing after school? You wanna come over and hang out for a bit?" Tori shifted her bag on her shoulder and forced a big smile onto her face.

"Uh," Andre glanced at her, that same freakin' look, and then turned his eyes down on his backpack. "You know I'd love to, but I promised Jade I'd help her with that song for class."

"I thought you did that during lunch." Tori's voice was almost accusatory as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. She didn't know which was bothering her more, that Andre kept looking at her like that, or that he was hanging out with Jade instead of her. Or maybe it was Jade hanging out with Andre instead of her.

"Yeah, we just need to finish. Record and tweak a few things, y'know?" He zipped up his backpack and threw one of the straps over his shoulder. "You okay, Tor? Your eye is kinda twitchy." He slipped his arm through the other strap and closed his locker.

Tori sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

He smiled and took a small step away. "I can come over after we're finished if you wanted to talk or something? It should only be a couple hours."

"No, it's alright," Tori shook her head. She had no reason to be upset or annoyed. It was a school project and that was more important than any questions she might have for him. She didn't even know what she'd say, so she just tried to shake off whatever it was that was bothering her.

"I mean, I'd invite you to hang out while we work on it," Andre said before shrugging, "but I don't think Jade would be cool with that."

Tori laughed a little. "Yeah, probably not."

"She looked like she was pulling her own teeth out when it was just the two of us. I don't know how she's gonna sing it in front of our whole class without losing her chizz."

"I'd almost like to see that," she said through a grin. The image of Jade, grumbling and fidgeting uncomfortably in front of a room full of people popped into her head. Followed immediately by how Jade's face would look as she closed her eyes and stated singing and the worry and tension left her body. Tori had seen it firsthand enough times to know that nothing affected Jade when she was singing.

Andre chuckled. "I should go, but you sure you're alright?" Tori nodded and smiled as he clapped her on the shoulder and walked away. Tori let out a heavy sigh and headed off to meet up with her sister.

Trina had the volume on the radio turned up, louder than usual because all the windows in her car were down. Tori rolled her eyes as poppy songs from before she was born played over and over and Trina screeched along with every single one. And then a song started up and Trina bounced in her seat excitedly. She started poking Tori in time with the staccato opening notes. "Trina, stop it," Tori said pushing her sister's hand away. Trina was relentless though and Tori squirmed in her seat. She had no desire to be upbeat and sing along with some song. She wanted to mope a bit and try to come up with a plan for getting Jade to actually open up.

"Come on, Tor, I know you love this one! You need to loosen up!"

"No, Trina!" Tori swatted at her sister's hand, fighting back a smile as Trina started dancing in her seat. Her sister could be so annoying, but sometimes her excitement was contagious.

"_Walkin' on, walkin' on broken glass,_" Trina sang then pointed dramatically to Tori who just rolled her eyes. Trina started poking her again and Tori caved, reluctantly singing the verse. "_You were the sweetest thing that I ever knew. But I don't care for sugar, honey, if I can't have you_. _Since you abandoned me, my whole life has crashed. Won't you pick the pieces up,_" Trina had a triumphant look in her eyes as she joined in. "_'Cause it feels just like I'm walking on broken glass._" Tori shook her head with a smile, feeling herself relaxing as her sister pumped her hand in the air. By the time they pulled into their driveway, they were both belting at the top of their lungs, and then they sat in the car, singing, until the song was over.

Tori was humming and walked up the driveway with a tiny spring in her step. She couldn't help the shake in her hips from the song that would be stuck in her head for the rest of the day as she walked into her house. But her bounciness was stopped when Trina grabbed her arm and roughly dragged her to the sofa. "Trina!"

"We are having a sister bonding day. I've decided." Trina crossed her legs and settled her hands on her knee.

A questioning look took over Tori's features. "What, like right now?"

"Yepperoni!"

"Haven't we had enough bonding lately?" Tori almost whined.

"Nope. So let's… bond. Tell me what's going on in the life of my favorite little sister."

"I'm your only little sister. I'm your only sister period."

"If you don't tell me about your life I'll tell you all about mine."

"Well, I think I'm adjusting to Hollywood Arts pretty well," Tori said quickly, diving right in to prevent Trina from rambling about god only knows what. "Classes are good. I've made some awesome friends-"

"Like Jade?"

"Like Andre and Cat, and even Beck and Robbie-"

"And Jade?"

Tori rolled her eyes. "If you want to ask me something, Trina, just do it."

"Are you friends with her again? Because you said it was only a paper for class, but you've been hanging out with her and you keep, like, thinking about things. It makes my head hurt."

"_Me_ thinking makes _your_ head hurt?" Tori asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Trina whined. "You just look so…" She made a weird, guttural noise and pulled a face, "and it makes my head hurt trying to think of what you're thinking about and I don't like to think about what you're thinking because it makes me feel all," she pulled the face again.

Tori's eyes bounced in her head trying to follow Trina's words. "I'm… sorry?"

"I accept your apology, but don't do it anymore."

"What? Think?"

"Yes. Just," Trina flapped a hand impatiently, "Figure it out and stop moping."

"I'm not moping," Tori protested. Trina shot her a skeptical look. "It's not moping! It's just thinking!"

"Exactly," Trina said with a knowing look as she patted Tori's arm.

"You're crazy. You're actually crazy."

"I'm concerned, Tori. There's a difference."

"No, I'm pretty sure you're just crazy."

Trina sighed dramatically. "I'm trying to help out my baby sister and all you're doing is insulting me. Not cool."

Tori rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I'm sorry. But really there's nothing wrong. Everyone keeps thinking there is, but there's not."

"Are you sure? There isn't _anything_ you wanna talk about?"

"No?" Tori meant to sound sure of herself when she said that and Trina's eyebrows rose a little.

"Is that 'no' spelled y-e-s?" When Tori didn't answer Trina shuffled a bit closer to her on the sofa. She lifted an arm to put it around Tori's shoulders, seemed to think better of it, and just dropped her hand awkwardly to pat Tori's knee. "Spill. What's got you freakin' out?"

"I'm not freaking out," Tori insisted. That much she was sure of. She was a lot of things, confused, frustrated, patiently waiting for something, although she had no idea what, but she wasn't freaking out.

"Okay. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret here, Tori." Trina uncrossed her legs and turned in her seat to face Tori fully. "You're a bad actress. No, let me explain," Trina held a hand up to stop her sister's protests. "You've never been good at hiding how you feel. Your face is like a book of your emotions, printed up and on display for anyone to read. And your face-book lately has been freaking out."

Tori opened and closed her mouth a few times trying to figure out how to respond. "My face-book has been freaking out?"

Trina threw her head back and barked, "So much!" Tori frowned as Trina actually did throw an arm around her shoulders. "Look, I can't help but think that maybe it might have something to do with a certain little neighbor girl, and I get it if you're confused, but you need to talk about it so you can stop freaking out."

"I don't even know how to talk about it," Tori answered honestly. She couldn't exactly tell Trina about how messed up Jade was because of her parents. Or how Jade had completely broken down in their backyard and cried, the first time Tori had ever seen her do that. Tori couldn't even put into words all the emotions that were going on inside of herself, because they all just kind of boiled down to _Jade_. And she didn't know how to explain that.

"Well try." Trina gave her sister's shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "Just tell me what it is that's goin' on in that head of yours."

"I just want Jade to talk to me."

"You guys hung out all day Sunday and yesterday afternoon and didn't talk? What'd you do, just stare at each other and see who felt awkward first?"

"No, I mean, we talked, obviously, but," Tori shook her head and frowned, "it wasn't the same as it used to be." Trina was quiet, and then Tori heard the distinct sounds of Trina trying to hold back laughter. She looked at her sister right as she broke and the room was filled with Trina's gasping laughs. "I'm so glad you're taking this conversation seriously," Tori deadpanned.

"Oh my god," Trina gasped, placing a hand on her stomach and trying to calm herself. "Tori, you're an idiot." Tori rolled her eyes and tried to stand up, but Trina grabbed her arm and pulled her back down onto the sofa. "Of course talking to Jade wasn't going to be the same. You aren't little kids anymore!"

"I know that! But I'm still Tori and she's still Jade and we should still-"

"No! You shouldn't! You _won't_!" Trina had stopped laughing, but little hiccups of amusement kept creeping into her voice. "Tori, it's been almost six years. You guys are in _high school_. You missed some serious developmental milestones in each other's lives. It's going to be different."

"I know that," Tori said defensively, "but sometimes, when she says things, or does things," she trailed off, unsure of exactly what she was trying to say.

"Sometimes it's almost like she's the same? And so you start to feel the same as you did back then? And you don't understand why, if you're both the same, you aren't still the same _together_?"

Tori nodded slowly, turning to look at her sister. Sometimes Trina really just boggled her mind. Trina smiled like she knew exactly what Tori was thinking. "So, since you're being big sisterly, what should I do?" Tori asked with a tight smile.

Trina sighed like the weight of the world had landed on her shoulders. "Simple. You'll be Tori, and she'll be _Jade_," Trina made a slightly disgusted face, "and then you guys figure out how you fit together now."

"How we fit together now?" Tori asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. Try and figure out something else that works for you both. And it might be different, and it definitely won't be what you were expecting, but maybe it'll be just as good." Trina ruffled her sister's hair and Tori squirmed away.

"Sometimes you sound like a lunatic," Tori said, pushing Trina's arm off her. "And sometimes you sound like an intelligent human being."

Trina shrugged as she stood up. "It's called being complicated, Tori. All good actresses are a little crazy."

"Then you must be up there with the best of them," Tori smiled sweetly. Trina looked confused, but must have decided that Tori meant it as a compliment because a proud look took over her face and she nodded slowly.

"I am, aren't I?" She said to herself as she headed off towards the stairs.

Tori grinned as her sister wandered off. She leaned back and folded her arms over her stomach as she thought about what Trina had said. It was wrapped up in a nice layer of Trina's usual craziness, but she had made a good point. It wouldn't be the same between Tori and Jade, but maybe it could be something different. Tori remembered the electricity when her arm brushed Jade's in the theater and the way her skin caught fire when Jade touched her. How it felt to fall asleep wrapped up in and around Jade. Her skin hummed with the warmth of Jade's hands settling on her hips while they camped out under the stars. She wanted more of that. More of Jade. A nervous flutter started in her belly, and Tori's grin settled into a peaceful smile. Maybe it would be different, but just as good.


	8. Chapter 8

**Holy crap, has this really not been updated since January? Wow, the author of this story must be an evil, evil lady to do that to all you fabulous readers. On a serious note: Thank you so much. Part of why I came back to this story was because of your reviews and PMs, telling me how much you like this story and wanted it continued. So I guess this chapter is a bit of an apology, and also a bit of a Christmas present (if you celebrate, if you don't, happy Tuesday?) because each and every one of you who reads this deserves an award for being awesome.**

**A few of you mentioned that it might help if I did like a recap or summary of events so far, which seems like a good idea since it's been almost a year or something between chapters. So:**

**-Tori and Jade were neighbors and best friends when they were little**

**-Jade's parents got divorced and she moved away with her mom**

**-yadda yadda time passes**

**-Tori goes to Hollywood Arts and who should she run into? Jade, of course!**

**-Jade is basically a gank and ignores Tori and Tori can't figure out why**

**-They get paired together for an assignment (all of this story sounds so original lol)**

**-They're forced to spend time together and eventually Jade becomes less gankish, but still pretty ganky cuz she's Jade and it's Jori and Jade always has to be a bit gankish**

**-Jade has to write a song for a class and asks Andre to help cuz he's the resident music guru of the group and that basically brings us to now?**

**-Also, this story is rather cerebral and spends a lot more time in Jade and Tori's heads figuring out their emotional states than dealing with actual events, although there are plenty of actual interactions and dialogue as well**

**-Oh right. Cancellation. So the show got cancelled and the fandom's kind of dying out and I just really wanted to get back into this and push myself to finish it before absolutely no one gives a shit about Victorious or Jori anymore because I still really do. So I'll be making a huge effort to actually write and get the chapters out to you guys. I'm not gonna guess on when this story will finish (since time limits never seem to work out for me,) but rest assured! I **_**WILL**_** be finishing this shit. Guaranteed :)**

**Disclaimer: The usual business. I don't own anything, unfortunately. But can we talk about Liz Gillies' original music for a minute? I **_**WILL**_** own a copy of that album whenever she releases it.**

"It should be softer. You're hitting the strings too hard."

"I'm playing exactly like I did at lunch, Jade."

"No, you're playing like a caveman. It's a guitar, not a pile of rocks."

Andre sighed and leaned forward, bringing his mouth to a microphone. "I'm doing it exactly how you told me to do it. What's changed?"

Jade pressed the button on the intercom and yelled, "Your stupid fingers!" She slammed her water bottle down on the desk next to the keyboard. She glared at Andre through the window that looked into the small recording room. They'd been in the stupid audio lab for almost an hour and hadn't accomplished anything. After Jade had spent her entire lunch period with him, telling him exactly what she wanted to happen, she figured it would have been simple to record the stupid song for class. But no, Andre was slapping away at the guitar strings like a toddler with no coordination. She took a deep breath when she saw how frustrated he was getting. "Just, play it softer." Andre rolled his eyes and started over, his fingers moving around the fret board with ease. Jade gave a curt nod and hit the intercom. "Better."

"Can I record it now?" He asked carefully. Jade nodded and leaned back in her chair. She needed his help. She didn't know how to work the recording equipment and the assignment was due in three days. So she folded her arms and tried not to glare while Andre adjusted his guitar strap. "Okay, just click where I showed you and give me a thumbs up or something." He sounded exasperated. Jade wasn't sure what she should do, but she felt like she should do something to thank him. She would've failed the assignment, and most likely the class, if he hadn't agreed to help her.

The muscle in her jaw tensed as she hit the intercom again. Andre heard the crackle and looked up. Jade's eyes were darting between him and something to his side. He raised his hands in question when she didn't say anything. "I… appreciate you doing this for me," Jade mumbled hurriedly, immediately shutting the intercom off. She moved the mouse and clicked on the stupid little button on the computer screen, not bothering to look at Andre as she threw a hand up to signal him to start playing. She slid the master volume control all the way down. Instead of listening to him, she watched as the screen came to life when he played. Spikes and dips of sound as he hit each note. A little bar sliding above the waves counting the time. A button on the side that kept randomly lighting up red for no reason. It was strange. Seeing sound as waves and lights instead of hearing it. Then the waves stopped and Jade glanced up at him. He was talking and she slid the volume back up. "-it sound okay?" She looked back to the screen, trying figure out how to play it back. "Okay, I'm coming," he said with a chuckle when she didn't answer. He pulled the guitar over his shoulders and placed it in a stand. Jade rolled her chair out of the way as he came back out to the desk and pulled another chair up beside her. He moved the mouse around, clicking on stuff.

"What are you doing?" It wasn't harsh, just curious. She didn't like feeling so helpless, and it was kind of interesting actually recording stuff.

Andre highlighted a section of the sound waves and then hit a button as it disappeared. "I'm just taking out some of the noise before I played," he scrolled to the end of the wave, where it died off into a straight line before spiking again, "and the end, which is just me asking if it was alright." He pointed to the screen and Jade followed where the cursor moved. "Now I'm gonna play it back and we can see how it sounded." The speakers on the sides of the computer monitor came to life and Jade nodded her head. It sounded alright. Andre paused the track, clicked a few more things, and then hit play again. It sounded better.

"What did you do?" Jade spun her chair to face him.

"Just added a compressor. It evens the dynamics out, makes the volume of each note the same," he explained. They fell into silence as the acoustic guitar played around them. When the sound stopped, Andre leaned back in his chair. "What do ya think?"

Jade gave a small shrug. "Yeah. It's alright."

"I'm a one take wonder, girl," he said proudly. "You can tell me I nailed it."

"I'll nail your hand to the desk if you don't wipe that grin off your face," Jade grumbled, shifting her chair back over.

Andre laughed and held his hands up defensively. "No need for violence, I was just sayin'. I'll do another one for the counterpoint, and then maybe straight up the middle, and then we can do your vocals, alright?"

Jade stared at him. "What middle?"

Andre looked at her as a small frown pulled his eyebrows together. "Have you ever wanted to do a tech class? Like an actual music production one?"

"I never thought about it," Jade shrugged. "Music's kind of secondary."

"Yeah, I don't get you theater kids," Andre said, looking baffled at how music could be secondary to anything. "But this sort of thing," He gestured to the computer and small mixing board, "it's like directing a play. The musicians are the actors, the song is the script, and you get to bring it to life. It's the behind the scenes stuff that brings it all together and makes the final product so good." Jade was quiet for a minute and Andre stood up. "Just somethin' to think about. Open a new track and lemme know when you hit record."

Jade nodded as he walked back into the recording room. Her eyes drifted over the mixing board. She loved writing. She had a huge interest in directing. She wanted to tell stories through theater and film. But it was kind of cool, sitting behind the computer and watching as a song came together in various parts. She moved the mouse, opening a new track on the screen and signaled to Andre. He nodded and started to play. Jade leaned back in her seat, watching as a whole new, _totally _different set of waves appeared on the computer.

Andre did a few more takes and then came back out of the studio. He explained to Jade every little click or movement he made, and she paid rapt attention as the guitar tracks were layered together and melded into a full, rich sound. She nodded appreciatively and sipped her water as Andre played the complete track back. His foot was tapping and he grinned when it ended. "You ready to sing?"

The truth was that she wasn't. She'd already sung it for him, and it had been painful. She'd warned him like five times not to laugh, and he didn't. He even told her that it was good. It still didn't make it any easier for her to stand there and record it. She nodded and took another sip of water. Andre went to switch out the microphones and Jade paced nervously behind the desk. After a few minutes of trying to mentally prepare herself, Andre was strolling back into the room and sitting at the desk. He glanced over his shoulder at her. "You alright?"

Jade hesitated, one of her hands tugging at the bottom of her shirt. She was nervous, but she couldn't just admit that. She had no reason to be nervous, anyway. It was a stupid assignment. Only the dozen kids in her class, plus her teacher, would hear the song. That was it. Hardly anyone, really. Certainly not the person she'd fucking written it for. Jade gave a sharp nod and steeled herself as she walked through to the recording room. The door shut behind her with a frighteningly final click. She rubbed her palms against the thighs of her jeans and stepped up to the microphone. The crackle of the intercom sounded and she glanced up at the ceiling before looking at Andre. "Once you put the headphones on, all you'll hear is the guitar. It'll just be you and the music, alright? I'll just be a shadow on the other end of the wires."

He was being gentle with her. He sensed how nervous she was and he was trying to reassure her. If it wasn't so fucking nice and comforting she probably would've been pissed at his presumption. Jade licked her lips and swallowed nervously as she put the headphones on. It was quiet, the murmur of her own heart being the only thing she heard, and as the guitar started up, she closed her eyes. And after a moment, she started to sing.

She ran through the song three full times, and then Andre turned into a slave driver, telling her to sing certain parts over and over again. As the afternoon wore on, little bits of vocals were thrown on top of the guitar. It was weird for Jade, standing there listening to herself sing and trying to harmonize with her own voice. It was weird and also pretty damn cool. Because each time Andre would stop her and tell her to do something else, or she stopped and wanted to try something different, bits of her voice were added or altered or layered and she could hear it all coming together in her headphones.

It had taken a lot longer than either of them thought it would and it was almost eight o'clock by the time Jade was satisfied with the recording. She dug out a small flash drive from her bag and handed it to Andre. She leaned on the back of his seat as he poked around the program and saved the song. "Thanks. For the help today."

"No problem. I love doing this stuff," he said without turning away from the computer. They were quiet for a minute as Andre copied the song to her drive and then he glanced over his shoulder at her. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Depends on the question," Jade answered, straightening up.

Andre turned his chair and looked at her. "What, uh, what's this song about?"

Jade's eyebrow cocked instinctively. Yeah, she wasn't answering that question. "It's just a song, dude. Are you really in love with some chick every time you open your mouth to sing?"

"Fair enough," Andre said, turning back to face the computer. "I was just wondering, 'cause some wonky chizz has been going on lately."

"Well I don't know what chizz you've been noticing because nothing's going on," Jade snapped. She didn't even know why she was snapping. It's not like Andre knew. Shit, Jade didn't even think that she had fully accepted it yet. Although, if that fucking song was anything to go by, some part of her was openly embracing what her conscious mind was refusing to admit. She snatched the flash drive from his hand. "Make sure you erase that song before you shut the computer down." She grabbed her bag off the floor, shoved the USB in and threw the strap over her shoulder. She was just turning to leave when Andre spoke up.

"Hey, Jade?" She turned to face him, but he was still clicking around on the computer, hardly paying attention to her. "Your song's really good. It's honest." He said it so casually and didn't even look at her, like it was just some throwaway comment and not a heart-attack-inducing observation.

Jade hesitated for a moment before turning on her heel and stomping out. She tried to calm herself down as she walked through the abandoned halls. She didn't want to be honest. She wanted to write a stupid song for a stupid class, not lay her heart bare in front of a microphone. Because honesty resulted in a whole new mess, and she had enough shit going on already. If she was honest, the problem got even more complicated than it already was. If she was honest, it left her open and vulnerable. Yeah, honesty was a dangerous thing.

She kept the radio loud on her drive home. She blasted music on her PearPod as she did homework in an empty house and emailed her teacher the mp3 of that stupid song. She ate dinner with a stupid game show turned up loudly on the television, yelling at the contestants whenever they got an easy question wrong. She did laundry, listening to the kick of the old dryer as she filled up the washer with a second load. She did anything she could to distract herself. To keep herself from thinking of the stupid song about a stupid girl that she had to turn in to her stupid teacher for a stupid class that she didn't even want to take in the first place. And then she went to bed, tossing and turning in her sleep because all she could think about was that stupid song for a stupid girl and how stupidly fucking honest it was.

Jade almost stayed home from school the next day. She'd slept like shit and she didn't really want to go anyway. But she heard her mom downstairs, talking loudly, and the smell of bacon was wafting up to her room. That's what got Jade out of bed. Her mom didn't cook. She wasn't really ever home long enough to do more than microwave a frozen meal. Jade got dressed, trying to remember if it was a holiday, or a birthday, or some special occasion. When she couldn't think of anything, she headed downstairs. Her mom barely glanced at her as she entered the kitchen, chatting away to the phone pressed up against her ear. She didn't say hello or good morning or anything at all, and neither did Jade. Jade walked over to the stove as her mom pulled some plates down from a cabinet. Eggs, bacon, toast. A proper breakfast. Usually Jade just grabbed a coffee on the way to school, sometimes a muffin or something if she was hungry. Her mom mentioned some quarterly report that needed to be finished as she filled up two plates with food and ended the phone call. Jade raised a questioning brow as her mom brought the plates over to their small kitchen table. "You actually made breakfast?"

"It's for me and James. I didn't think you'd want any," her mom answered bluntly, sitting down.

"James?" Jade sneered. "Who the fuck is James?"

As if summoned by the mention of his name, there were heavy footfalls on the stairs and then a tall, half naked man was walking into Jade's kitchen. "James," her mom pointed with her fork. The man grunted at Jade as he sat down at the table.

"Enjoy your breakfast, _James. _I hope you choke on all the bacon fat." He gave Jade a strange look as she walked out of the kitchen. She went back to her room, quickly gathering the shit she'd need for school and silently thanking the house for having such thick walls. She glanced at the time on her phone as she hurried downstairs. She'd be really early for school, but at least she had plenty of time to stop for coffee and a muffin on the way.

Jade was the first one to Sikowitz's. Shit, she was the first one to school, period. She'd sat in her car picking at a blueberry muffin and sipping her coffee, trying to kill time, but it just made her really bored. She took a seat in the back of the class and waited as other students came in. Andre gave her a small nod as he walked in, not waiting to see if Jade returned it as he took a seat. Cat bounced in shortly after and plopped into the chair next to her, mouth already moving at a rapid speed to tell a story about something her brother had done the night before. Beck glanced at her and raised a hand in greeting. Her eyebrow lifted in response. It was the most communication they'd had, really, since the breakup.

"You're dealing with it really well," Cat whispered, patting Jade's knee. She pulled her hand away when Jade's eyes snapped to her.

"Dealing with what?"

Cat glanced at Beck and then looked back to Jade. "Him. The break up."

"Yeah, well I've got a lot on my mind. It's not 'dealing' so much as 'postponing'."

Cat's eyebrows furrowed. "Postponing? What, the being upset?"

"Yes, Cat," Jade sighed. "The being upset."

Cat nodded her head and folded her hands in her lap. "So, like, it doesn't feel real?"

"Nope."

"It feels like a dream?"

"Sure."

"I had a dream about a hippo once."

"Completely unrelated, Cat, and irrelevant." Jade was glad that Cat seemed to quiet down after that, because Tori had just walked into the room. She greeted them both cheerily and waved as she passed to go to her seat. Jade's eyes followed her hand as it dropped back to her side. Jade remembered how it felt to hold that hand. It had been quick, sure, and she'd only done it to make Tori stop grinning and wiggling her fingers and being so fucking _adorable_, but still. It felt nice and Jade had liked it. But then Tori went and ruined it by asking what things meant and looking at Jade like she owed an explanation. Jade frowned at the memory. No, Tori hadn't expected Jade to answer. She wanted her to. Her voice was practically pleading, and so were her eyes, which is why Jade couldn't look at her. And then of course Jade had spewed some bullshit about her parents, which was a valid point, but hardly the main one. Because Jade couldn't just shrug and say "Oh, yeah, I think I was in love with you when we were kids, but don't worry, because I might not be anymore, even though I think I am." Fuck. Jade didn't even know if it was actually possible to still love Tori. They hadn't spoken in years, and it's not like they were all buddy-buddy like they'd been as kids. That night in Tori's backyard was probably just a shock. Jade had been emotionally overwhelmed ever since Tori came back into her life. Spending time with her had struck the metal cage that Jade kept her childhood locked in, and all she'd felt was the clanging echo of that impact. That had to be it. Right? Jade rolled her eyes and then swatted Cat's hand away when she tried to pat her leg.

By lunch, Jade knew that it was just an echo from her childhood. The way Tori and Beck were joking around about something funny that had happened to Andre during fourth period convinced her of that. Because all she felt as she watched them was annoyance. Sitting next to each other on the other side of the table, laughing together, Tori touching Beck's arm constantly. Jade shook her head. It was just annoying. Tori was just some stupid girl who Jade wrote a stupid song about. No big. She speared a piece of fruit with her fork and shoved it in her mouth. It's not like she was jealous or anything about how easy her ex-best friend and her ex-boyfriend were conversing. Or how Tori really couldn't stop touching his fucking arm whenever he made her laugh. Something snapped and Jade looked down to her lunch. She'd stabbed a strawberry so hard that the prongs on her plastic fork broke off. Okay, maybe she was a little jealous. But she couldn't figure out if she was jealous of Tori or Beck, because there were weird pangs in her chest when she looked at either of them. She turned her head and looked at Cat. "Give me your fork." Cat shrugged and handed it over, picking at her own lunch with her fingers. Jade stabbed at a couple more pieces of fruit.

"Oh, hey, how did the recording go yesterday?" Tori asked once her little bonding time with Beck was over.

Jade's head snapped up, her eyes immediately finding Andre, who had the decency to look a little sheepish. "Uh," he said, glancing at Jade, "it went good. Real good."

"Cool. I'm glad you finally managed to write something, Jade."

Jade rolled her eyes and impaled a chunk of melon. She really didn't want to think about the stupid song. She especially didn't want to hear Tori talking about the stupid song. She threw the fork into her plastic container of smashed and decimated fruit. She stood up, throwing her bag over her shoulder as she walked away. Lunch was almost over anyway, and Jade only had to hole up in the janitor's closet for about five minutes before the bell rang for afternoon classes.

By the time she had screenwriting, Jade was absolutely positive that her feelings had just been reverberations from the past, but she still hesitated outside the doorway before walking into the class. It was only a pause, a moment, but it was enough for Jade's heart to start beating a little faster in her chest and her nerve endings to go a little crazy in her fingertips. Well, that certainly wasn't a normal reaction to just the thought of seeing someone. She took a deep breath as she walked to her desk, fully aware of the smile pulling at Tori's lips. Jade hadn't even gotten her notebook out yet when a folded piece of paper was slid onto her desk. Jade's eyes pulled from the paper up to Tori, who was bouncing in her seat in a very Cat-like way. Jade gave an exaggerated eyeroll as she opened the note. At the top, in Tori's overly feminine writing, was "_Why so serious?"_ Underneath that was a colored pencil drawing of what was clearly Jade done up like the Joker from The Dark Knight, complete with green streaks in her hair, eyeshadow and eyeliner dark and smeared, and lipstick painted on in that gruesome smile. Jade stared at the picture. She hated to admit it, since she was a little offended that Tori was comparing her to a homicidal lunatic, but it was actually good. Tori had managed to nail the color of her eyes, and even had the small studs in her brow and nose. Jade just kind of gaped at it before turning to look at the girl beaming next to her. "Are you saying that I'm some insane murderer?"

Tori rolled her eyes, her smile never fading. "We had a sub in theater history," Tori shrugged nonchalantly. "You seemed upset at lunch, and some kid had colored pencils, so I doodled to cheer you up."

Doodled? That wasn't a fucking doodle. Doodles were the stick figures and misshapen lumps that happened when Jade tried to draw. What Tori had done was… really fucking good. The classroom door slammed shut and Jade's head snapped up as their teacher started talking. She quickly folded the 'doodle' back up and slid it carefully into her bag. She remembered every single time Tori had ever drawn a picture to cheer her up or make her laugh. And she remembered how they never failed to impress her or cause butterflies to start fluttering around in her stomach. Kind of like they were as she tried to focus during class.

She didn't really pay much attention, though, because she kept stealing glances at Tori, who seemed blissfully unaware as she watched the teacher, her chin in the palm of her hand, her fingers curled against her cheek, and her pen tapping away at her notebook. Normally Jade would have been bothered by the annoying habit, even if she did it often herself, but the pen was striking with each of her heartbeats, speeding up when her heart did and then slowing down and pausing at all the right moments. Jade could only wonder if Tori knew that, if she was somehow purposefully playing with Jade's insides, because a satisfied smile was dancing on the edge of her lips for the entire period. Jade couldn't stop staring.

By the end of the day, Jade was half convinced that it was actually possible to still be in love with someone that you hadn't seen or spoken to in years. It was a terrifying thought, and she was determined to figure out for sure, one way or the other, what was going on inside of her. "Vega!" Jade called out as she walked through the main hallway.

Tori turned away from her locker and smiled. "Hey, Jade. What's up?"

"What are you doing?"

Tori pointed at her locker. "Getting stuff from my locker."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Jade rolled her eyes. "I meant this afternoon."

"Well, Trina wanted to go shopping for a new pair of boots," Tori said as she closed her locker, "so I guess I'm being dragged along to 'the sale of the century'."

"Wow, I so don't care." Jade cleared her throat when Tori frowned. "You want a ride home?"

Tori blinked slowly, her eyebrows rising. "You don't mind? It would save me from an afternoon of listening to-"

Jade held a hand up and silenced whatever insult Tori was about to level against her sister. "I wouldn't offer if I minded. Now, yes or no, before I get bored and take it back."

"Yes," Tori said quickly. "Definitely yes." Her obvious enthusiasm would normally put Jade off, and if it had been anyone else, she would have rescinded the offer. But it was _Tori_.

Jade nodded and jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards the door. They fell in step as they headed out to the parking lot. Jade with her head turned down to keep the afternoon sun out of her eyes, and Tori typing away on her phone to let Trina know she didn't need a ride. Jade kept the radio at a normal volume, although Tori would shoot questioning glances at the display whenever a new song would start up. Neither of them said anything, which seemed to be a pattern that they fell into, although the silence wasn't awkward or all that tense. Tori didn't say anything when Jade parked in front of her house and unbuckled her seatbelt. She barely batted an eye as Jade got out of the car as well, throwing her bag over her shoulder as she followed Tori into her house. "You want a drink or something?" Tori asked as she closed her front door behind them. Jade shrugged and Tori tossed her bag on the sofa as she headed towards the kitchen.

Jade sat down, placing her own bag next to her. She wasn't sure what she was doing. She'd meant to, like, talk or something. Try and figure out where Tori stood, so maybe Jade could slap a label on their situation and be done with all the questioning and confusion. But every time she tried to speak, her throat and mouth refused to work and she just ended up gulping instead. Tori set a glass of juice down on the coffee table in front of Jade and sat down on the end of the other sofa. They were close, but there was the gap between couches and Jade was grateful for it. Tori took a sip of her own juice and Jade watched as her throat moved when she swallowed it. "Did you get my email?"

"No?" Tori set her glass down and looked at Jade. "What email?"

"The stupid paper for screenwriting. I sent you my draft to read over. Which, by the way, you misspelled like half the directors' names."

"Oh. No, I haven't checked my email in a while. My laptop's right upstairs," Tori said as she stood up.

It probably wasn't an invitation. Tori must have meant that she would get her laptop and bring it down, but Jade's legs were forcing her off the sofa and her head was nodding, like Tori had suggested they both go up to her room and Jade's body had agreed. Tori arched a brow but shrugged it off, grabbing her bag and her drink. Jade did the same and followed Tori upstairs. The room was exactly how Jade remembered it. Some of the pictures and posters on the walls had changed, but nothing else did really. The bedspread was even exactly the same. White with bright pastel patterns all over. The closet door still had a chip taken out of the side from when Jade knocked over the floor lamp trying to build a blanket fort. The white dresser still had swirls and designs painted on it from when Tori first got it and her parents said she could decorate it however she wanted. The desk chair was even exactly the same, a small rip in the fabric of the seat from when Jade had tripped with a pair of scissors. Jade dropped her bag to the floor as she sat down in it. Tori lied down on her bed, her feet in the air by her pillows and her face turned to her laptop screen by the bottom. She started typing away and Jade tried not to stare at her. But then her eyes were drifting to the window and she could see the roof of her old house.

"Hmm?" Tori hummed, turning to look at Jade.

"What?"

"You said something."

"No I didn't."

"Okay, Jade." Tori turned her attention back to her laptop.

Jade nudged her bag with the toe of her boot, her eyes still focused out the window. "Do you ever stare at it?" she asked, unsure why she did or whether she was actually expecting an answer or not.

"All the time," Tori responded without looking away from the computer. "Pretty much any time I see my window, I'm just staring through it to yours." Her gaze drifted to the edge of the screen and then right back to the middle. "What used to be yours."

Jade nodded and stood up. She crossed Tori's room, more of her old house coming into view. She folded her arms over her stomach. The lock looked old and there was a faint layer of dust on the top of the window. Like it hadn't been touched in ages. Jade wiped a finger through it and then stared at the dust caked on her fingertip. Her eyes slowly pulled up to the side of her old house, and landed squarely on the draped window that used to be hers. "I always liked this side better."

Tori was quiet for a minute and Jade wiped the dust off her hand. She shouldn't be there. She should've just dropped Tori off and then gone straight home. She didn't know how to do whatever it was that she was supposed to do. The talking thing, the feelings thing. Jade wasn't good at that stuff. She was worse at it than ever, since no one in her life had really pushed her to talk about stuff the way Tori had. She'd almost forgotten how to do it at all. Dealing with emotions had become like a foreign concept. "I liked having you on this side better." Jade almost jumped out of her skin as she spun around. Tori had snuck up behind her and was way too close for comfort. She was right there and Jade felt trapped. The window behind her, the sill digging into her back, and Tori right in front of her. So close that Jade could hear her breathing. See the way Tori's eyes darted to Jade's and then over her shoulder, out the window. "It's not far, but it always felt like you were miles away. Every time I sent you a note, part of me was scared it wouldn't reach you. Like there was too much stuff in the way and it wouldn't be able to get through. They were only paper planes, ya know?"

Jade nodded. She knew exactly what Tori meant. They were fragile. They were only paper. Jade had ripped more than her fair share of notes eagerly trying to get to the message inside. Tori almost felt like a paper plane. All crisp edges and straight lines. She was defined. Jade looked at her and knew right away: _This is Tori. This is what Tori is._ But there was something inside. Words and thoughts and god only knows what else hidden under the folds and creases. And it was the message inside that Jade couldn't grasp. Whatever was inside Tori, the thoughts that Jade couldn't see, was what bothered her. She wanted to know what Tori was trying to tell her. But Tori was a paper plane. And paper planes were fragile. If Jade moved her hand wrong trying to open it, the whole thing could crumple or tear.

Tori was licking her lips. Jade was staring at Tori's mouth as her tongue swiped across the thin skin. Tori shifted slightly closer, or maybe Jade did, she wasn't sure. But every butterfly that had ever been in her stomach and lied dormant woke up at that moment. And her heart was taking up her entire chest, thumping away to make sure that blood got everywhere it needed to be, because various parts of Jade felt like they were burning up. And Tori's hand was tucking some hair behind Jade's ear and then her fingertips were trailing down Jade's neck and Jade couldn't make her eyes look away from Tori's lips as they parted slightly.

There was a physical tension and Tori was still way too close, always getting closer. Jade's fingers curled as that glow crept back through her. Her body was humming with anticipation. Like every particle in her body, in time and space themselves, was vibrating from being forced to stand still when all they wanted to do was _Go_. Jade blinked. Tori's fingers slid to the back of her neck. Jade's arms flexed, somehow resulting in her hands on Tori's waist. And then, in the space of less than a heartbeat, the tension was released and every single thing in the Universe shot forward.

Tori's room had always felt innocent. It had been an escape, a safe haven. It had always been there for Jade when she needed it. But right then, as Tori's lips made the briefest of contact with Jade's, it felt like a psycho's torture chamber in a horror movie. The air had been sucked out, the walls were closing in, and there was nothing innocent about the color white that was plastered everywhere. It wasn't innocent or pure. It was blinding, like how the sky goes white when there aren't any clouds and you stare at the sun. Or when you're in the dark for too long and then a light snaps on and you need to shut your eyes. It hurt. Jade hurt. Because Tori was that kind of blinding. Jade might have said "I can't." She probably said "No." She definitely pushed Tori away with shaking hands. And Tori let her stumble out of the room, the strap of her bag clutched in her hand as broken, incoherent thoughts escaped Jade's lips.

Jade was parked in her car. She'd barely made it to the end of the street before the shaking in her hands was too bad and she had to stop. Because it wasn't just an echo from childhood. It wasn't a strong friendship that Jade was confusing for something more. Tori had kissed her, and Jade had let her. And that meant it was real. Every feeling that she'd ever had as a kid that resurfaced that night in the tent or whenever Jade's skin touched Tori's was validated and justified in less than a second. Every fucking word in that fucking song she'd written was true. She was in love with Tori Fucking Vega. Always had been.

Jade actually did skip school the next day. She left the house when she normally would, her bag on the passenger seat, but her hands directed her car down different roads and she ended up in Santa Monica. She didn't walk the pier. It was too early and nothing was open anyway. There were just a few old people out for a morning stroll with tiny, two pound weights in their hands. Jade pulled her boots and socks off and rolled her jeans up to the knees before wandering down onto the sand. She walked for a while, the sun still weak enough in the morning that it wasn't hot, just warm. There were a few clouds in the sky threatening rain, but they were rolling out to sea already, so Jade didn't worry. The sand felt cool under her feet as it crept between her toes with each step. She walked close enough to the water that the sand was wet, but the small, lazy waves were nowhere near her feet. She felt awkward for several minutes, because a man was running towards her, legs and arms propelling him forward. She tried not to make eye contact as he passed. He didn't seem to notice her anyway, and she was grateful for that. She turned around at some point and followed her own soggy footprints back until they faded completely, filled in by more sand brought in from the ocean and the slightly bigger waves rolling up onto the beach.

Jade walked under the pier, reaching out to brush her fingers against the huge wooden posts. She walked up towards where there was hardly any space between the pier and the sand, and then she sat down, leaning on one of the posts. She was bored after like two minutes. Jade sighed heavily and adjusted in the sand, trying to get more comfortable. She stretched her legs out in front of her and folded her hands behind her head. She watched the foamy water rolling in and out. She thought about getting her phone to listen to some music or something, but she'd left it in her bag, which was in the car, and if she went to get it she'd just want to leave. And she didn't want to leave. Because she liked the beach, and the ocean in small doses like that. Where it kind of just existed as far out as the pier went. She couldn't see beyond that. The pier was a ceiling and the ocean was the floor and they slanted and met. The ocean didn't go on forever. It didn't drop off in a cliff at the end of the world. It didn't stretch on for eternity. Jade squinted, trying to focus on the exact point where the wood and water met. There. Right there, the ocean ended. As long as she didn't look out to either side, it was finite. She preferred it that way. It was labeled and defined. Here's the start, shifting slightly as the waves lazily swell and fall, and there's the end, constant and visible. Jade didn't like things she couldn't define. Like Tori.

Jade groaned and dropped her hands to her sides, letting her head fall back on the wooden post. What happened in Tori's room, how Jade felt almost paralyzed as Tori touched her neck and leaned in. Jade unconsciously licked her lips, her fingers digging into the sand at her sides. She needed to figure out what she was going to do. It's not like she could just ignore Vega, she hadn't really succeeded in her attempts thus far. The girl just had a… pull on Jade. It was like Tori had some sort of control over her, and Jade hated it. Things with Beck had worked for so long because she was in charge. He could talk her down from lashing out, sure, but she only allowed herself to be calmed because blowing up and then having more fights with him wasn't usually worth the trouble. It was her decision. And with Tori, nothing felt like her decision. She'd found herself voluntarily, willingly, spending time with her again. Hanging out, driving her home, letting all her thoughts and emotions flow out of her in a nakedly honest song, just strolling up to Tori's room like they were eight years old and it was the most natural thing in the world. Jade had no control over herself where Tori was concerned. And Jade didn't usually get scared, but that terrified her. She'd known what it was like to have people disappoint you. Let you down. Break your heart without even batting an eye. And Jade had promised herself that she'd never let anyone hurt her like she'd seen her parents hurt each other.

She probably should have moved. The water was getting closer and closer. She just bent her knees up, scooting her feet slightly farther from the rising water. It would reach her eventually, and she'd be forced to either move or get soaking wet, but she was buying herself a bit more time. Postponing the inevitable, just like everything else in her life. Jade sighed when she felt a wave roll up and touch the tips of her toes. She stood up, quickly brushed the sand off her jeans, grabbed her boots and walked out from under the pier.

The sun had shifted in the sky. She wasn't sure how long she'd been under there, but it was almost directly above her now. Jade thought briefly about maybe showing up for the second half of school, but if she did that she'd probably get called into the office, and she didn't want to bother coming up with a lie for why she missed all her morning classes. Better to just skip the whole fucking day. She stopped on the sidewalk to brush off her feet and put her socks and shoes back on before walking the rest of the way to her car. She got in and dug her phone out of her bag. She'd missed a few texts and one call from Cat. She listened to the voicemail first, which was filled with lots of chatter in the background, and Jade assumed Cat had called her while walking through the hall between classes, because she could barely make out a word the girl said. Jade deleted it and checked the texts. They were all seeing where Jade was, if she was feeling alright, did she want Cat to bring her soup after school? Jade rolled her eyes at the last message received. "_Did u die? D:_" Jade fired back a response saying that she just didn't feel well and she was fine and then shoved her phone into the pocket of her jeans.

She drove around for a while. She stopped at a deli for coffee and a sandwich. She popped into a record store to flip through rows of CDs. She bought a couple and earned an appreciative head nod from the clerk as he rang them up. She drove around some more. She took a nap when she got home and woke up on the couch in her living room in a pitch black house. She rummaged through the fridge and scraped together a meal from leftovers and some frozen veggies. She ate on her bed listening to music and fell back asleep almost as soon as she was finished.

Friday at school went exactly how Jade thought it would. Cat had stapled herself to Jade's side all through Sikowitz's, asking if she was okay and making all sorts of strange comments about various diseases her brother had been exposed to in order to see if Jade had any of them. Andre asked if she was alright, and she shrugged, and he nodded and let it go. Rex asked if someone had finally done the school a favor and tried to poison her. Robbie ran away quickly before Jade could tear the puppet limb from limb. Beck looked like he wanted to ask but wasn't sure if he was allowed to anymore. She wasn't sure if he was either. Sikowitz made a big show about her "gracing the class with her presence" and Jade shot back about them being lost without her. What did surprise her was Tori's reaction. Jade wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't Tori ignoring her. Not asking if she was okay, or felt better, or why she missed school. Nothing. In fact, Tori didn't even look at Jade when she walked into class and took her normal seat in the front.

"Jade! Cat!" Sikowitz called, getting both of their attention. "Why don't you come up here and we'll start class off with some Alphabet improv. Beck, you look far too bored in your seat, so up you go!" They played for a bit before Cat messed up and got sent to her seat. Beck and Jade continued, awkwardly, talking about the circus. They carried on for a few more minutes until Sikowitz got bored and ended the scene. Tori's eyes were focused on the floor of the stage as Jade walked by and back to her seat. Sikowitz continued with class, calling students up for random exercises. He always seemed to get bored on Fridays if there wasn't an exciting assignment for the week. Like he was just as anxious as the students for the weekend. Jade watched as Tori and Andre had to pretend to be an old married couple arguing at the grocery store. Beck and Robbie were fans for opposing teams who got into a fight at a football game. Cat and some boy had to pretend to be news reporters and Tori and Jade had to act out various scenes that they described. Sikowitz seemed even more restless than usual and dismissed the class early, saying that he wanted a nap and they weren't holding his attention. Jade rolled her eyes as everyone got up and wandered into the hallway. Tori brushed past her shoulder, rushing off to her locker.

Jade glanced back to where Cat, Andre, Beck and Robbie were gathered, joking around about something. She looked forward and saw Tori hurrying off down the hall. Jade hesitated for a moment and then grumbled, stomping off after Tori. She was already at her locker when Jade caught up to her, and Jade just grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her off. Tori protested, trying to pull free, but Jade yanked her along and straight into the janitor's closet. Jade pushed her in roughly and then shut the door behind them. Tori threw her arms in the air and folded them across her chest, giving Jade a very stern glare. "What the heck was that?"

"Excuse me?" Jade sneered, her stance mimicking Tori's. "What the hell was that in class? You try to kiss me and then can't even look at me?"

Tori rolled her eyes. "Okay, one: _you_ kissed _me_. And two: you ran off right after and then skipped school to avoid me. So, if either of us gets to be pissed off, it's me."

"I didn't skip school to avoid you," Jade said, ignoring the first half of Tori's statement. She wasn't really sure who tried to kiss whom, and she was a little scared that maybe she had actually been the one to initiate it. Tori raised her eyebrows in disbelief and Jade huffed. "Whatever. I didn't feel well yesterday."

"So you stayed home all day?" Jade's jaw clenched and a smug smile spread across Tori's lips. "Right. You were avoiding me."

Jade threw her hands out to stop Tori when she tried to reach for the door. "I just needed to think."

Tori took a small step back, her arms folding over her chest again. "And?"

"And what?" Jade repeated as Tori just looked at her expectantly.

Tori shrugged. "What did you decide?"

Jade shifted her weight from foot to foot. It was like Tori knew exactly what was going on in her head. Like she knew what Jade was freaking out over and trying to figure out. But Jade hadn't really come to a decision. She'd just kind of accepted that maybe she did have feelings for Tori. That didn't mean she had to act on them. She didn't _have_ to do anything. Jade could deal with hanging out with Tori in the group. As long as the others were there so she didn't do anything stupid like she had at the pizzeria or in Tori's room. She just had to be more careful. Try and keep herself in check. Jade had lasted that entire day at the beach with Tori and Cat and hadn't done anything too bad. It might be hard, but she had confidence she could do it.

She must've taken too long to respond because Tori was shaking her head and pushing past Jade to get to the door. "Okay, Jade. Do whatever you want." Jade didn't know how to reply to that, and then the door was closing behind Tori. There had been finality in her tone. Any trace of the humor or bewildered amusement that usually laced her voice was gone. Tori sounded like Beck. Worn down and defeated. Almost broken. Jade stood in the closet even after the bell rang, her arms folded and trying to figure out what the fuck was going on.

Tori sounded like Beck. They hadn't even been dating, hadn't even really been friends, and Jade had managed to achieve the same end. It took three years for her to ruin Beck, to make him so tired of her and her bullshit that he walked away, with barely even a wave as he left through the door. She'd done the exact same thing to Tori in three fucking weeks. Jade's back slid down the door, her boots squeaking against the linoleum floor as her legs sprawled out in front of her. Jade had no idea what had happened. Tori was one of the people who saw magic in everything. You can't break people like that. They just hold out, eternally optimistic that someday things will change for the better. They don't give up. They don't walk away. But Tori had just shrugged Jade off her shoulders like it was nothing more than taking off a loose sweater.

Jade felt the sharp sting of tears and screwed her eyes shut. She inhaled deeply, trying to control it. She didn't want to fucking cry in the goddamned janitor's closet at school. She didn't want to cry at all, period. She didn't want the sick, twisting feeling of guilt that was creeping through her veins and telling her that she had broken Tori's belief in magic. She didn't want to think that she had fucked up whatever was going on with Tori just like she had fucked up with Beck. She didn't want any of it.

Jade swiped an angry knuckle under her eyes fiercely. She wasn't going to accept it. She wouldn't be the one to break Tori. Jade sniffed roughly, wiping her fingertips across her cheeks as she pushed to her feet. She tried to get her shit together, taking deep breaths and shaking the tension out of her arms. She loved Tori, in a way that she knew she'd never love anyone else. She wasn't going to fuck it up. She wasn't going to fuck over Tori like she'd seen her parents fuck each other over. She didn't want that. She ran her fingers quickly through her hair, brushing some random strands in front of her shoulders and tried to make out her reflection in the small window in the door. She didn't think she looked that bad. Worst case, she might've bared a better resemblance to the picture Tori had drawn of her. Minus the homicidal, of course. Jade took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway to go to her songwriting class with Andre. She was determined.

She walked into class, grumbling a quick excuse to her teacher about why she was late, and took her seat. Andre raised his eyebrows and gave her a small smile as she shifted in her seat. Jade waited until their teacher started talking and then leaned over to him. "I need your help with something," she whispered.

Andre looked startled, his eyes darting from Jade to the front of the room and then back. His eyebrows turned up and then dug down and he gave a curt nod of his head. "Sure. What's up?"

**A/N So that's that. Hopefully it didn't suck, and hopefully those of you who wanted me to continue this story are still here and reading? If you are, then hello! Apologies again for the delay, but I'll try and get the next chapter up soon. And by 'soon' I mean 'not in a year' lol Feel free to drop a review if you're feeling generous during this holiday season. It only takes a second and they really do motivate me to write, so… yeah. See ya next time and thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much, again, for the reviews and stuff. I'm glad that you're all still here and enjoying the story, even after all this time. I won't drag this out anymore, so thank you and on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: Why yes, I do own Victorious. I was also a member of the Royal Family, but they disowned me so I became a spy for Canada instead. All of that is absolutely true. (It's not, don't sue?)**

"What did you decide?" Tori asked. She was frustrated. She was giving Jade one last chance to do something, _anything_, to show that they were on the same page. Tori thought they were. After Jade brought her to that park, and then went home with her after school, Tori really thought they were. But then they'd kissed, sort of, quickly, in her bedroom, and Jade had freaked out. Tori could understand that, because she was halfway to a heart attack herself when Jade had leaned forward, her eyes blatantly focused on Tori's lips. And Tori thought that okay, maybe Jade had a little catching up to do, but at least they were in the same chapter. But then Jade had skipped school, and Tori wasn't sure if they were even reading the same book anymore. Tori figured that if Jade wanted to just be friends, she could do that. If Jade wanted to, maybe, like, explore the spark that was between them, Tori wouldn't say _no_ to that either. She just wanted Jade to make some sort of decision about it, about them, and she wasn't.

Tori shook her head and reached past Jade for the door. Jade didn't even try and stop her. "Okay, Jade. Do whatever you want." Tori left her alone in the janitor's closet. She didn't know what to do anymore. She was tired of thinking they were making progress down whatever road they were on, only to have Jade slam on the brakes and backtrack. She was tired of trying to climb through the holes in the barbed wire. She wanted Jade to lay out a path that she could follow. Because she would, wherever it led. She had meant it when she said that she'd been closer to Jade than anyone else. And Tori remembered how it felt to be curled into Jade's side while they watched movies or slept. She remembered being a kid and hugging Jade, never wanting to let her go. And what Trina had said made a lot of sense to her, as hard as it was to believe. Tori didn't really want what they'd had as kids. She wanted more than that. But if Jade didn't, then Tori would settle, because at least she would have her in some way. It was just hard when Jade refused to admit anything. And Tori was tired of waiting around.

Tori plowed through the rest of the day, just kind of wanting it to be over. She had big plans for the weekend that involved sitting around in her pajamas with like a gallon of cookie dough ice cream and she wanted to get started on said plans as soon as possible. Lunch was a little awkward because Tori was trying to ignore Jade even though Jade was blatantly staring at her the whole time. Beck was looking between the two of them, his eyebrows drawn together, and Andre, Robbie, and Cat were blabbering on, trying to pretend that nothing weird was going on with half the occupants of the table. The bell rang and Tori fled from the lunch table. She stopped at her locker, switching out books faster than she ever thought possible, and was heading off again before most students had even started.

Tori was focused when she sat down in screenwriting. She'd pay attention. She wouldn't be upset, or hurt, when Jade sat on the other side of the room. She would just… roll with the punches. Go with the flow. She could do that. If Jade didn't want to make a decision about where they stood, then it was up to Tori to do it. She stared out the window, like always, waiting for class to start. Students walked in, feet shuffling and groaning as they sat down, just waiting for the weekend to start. Tori smiled, glad that she wasn't the only one who wanted school to be done.

"Keep smiling to yourself like that and people will think you're as vapid as Cat."

There was a growl in Jade's voice and Tori turned her head. Jade was pulling her notebook out of her bag, looking for all the world like nothing was wrong. Tori frowned in frustration, having no idea how Jade could just keep on pretending. There had been glimpses, brief as they were, of something developing between them, but Jade swatted them away and brushed them off when all Tori wanted was to hold them close. Tori turned back to the window, keeping her eyes on the street outside. She didn't know what to say to Jade, or if she wanted to say anything at all, so she kept quiet and waited for the teacher to start up the class.

"Hey, Tori," Andre greeted when she sat down next to Cat in their vocal class. "We were thinking of doing karaoke tonight, you in?"

"I dunno," Tori said as she set her bag down next to her chair. "I have a hot date that I'd hate to pass up."

"Oh," Cat giggled and poked Tori's side. "Who with?"

"A boy named Harry Potter," Tori smiled and batted her friend's hand away.

Cat's face lit up. "Oh my god, I love Harry Potter! Can I come?"

"I thought you wanted to do karaoke?" Andre asked, leaning around Tori to look at the excited redhead.

Cat's smile dimmed a bit. "Oh right. I forgot about that."

"It was your idea, Little Red," Andre said with a laugh.

Cat shrugged and threw her hands in the air. "Well now I don't know _what _I want to do!"

Tori chuckled and patted Cat's knee affectionately. "Go to karaoke. You and I can watch Harry Potter some other time, okay?" Cat nodded and seemed satisfied with the decision, crossing her ankles and pulling her hair in front of her shoulders as their teacher started up the class.

Tori was glad when she finally got home. It had been an exhausting week and she just wanted to veg out on the sofa for a few days before having to go back to school on Monday. She didn't want to think about Jade, but she knew she would anyway. She'd resigned herself to that fact. That no matter how much she wanted to be done with it, just forget about Jade entirely and move right along with her life, she wouldn't be able to. Jade had played too big a part in her life and Tori couldn't shake the girl from her thoughts.

Tori changed into sweats and a t-shirt and carried the stack of Harry Potter movies down from her room. She popped the first one in and grinned as soon as the music from the main menu flooded the room. Tori hummed along with it as she wandered out to the kitchen and grabbed a spoon. She opened the freezer and pulled out a carton of ice cream, pausing momentarily in front of the cabinet housing the bowls. She shrugged, figuring it would be useless because she'd probably have to get up for refills, and just strolled back out to the sofa. She pulled the lid off the carton, stuck the spoon into the ice cream, and hit play on the remote before settling back against the pillows to start her relaxing weekend of trying not to think about Jade.

She actually made it pretty far into the first film before her trance was broken by Trina stomping downstairs, sighing loudly about Tori being upset. "I'm not upset," Tori threw over her shoulder as her sister wandered out to the kitchen for a drink.

"It's Friday afternoon and you're in sweatpants, watching Harry freakin' Potter, eating ice cream from the carton. You're upset." Trina banged around in the drawers and Tori heard the metallic clink of cutlery.

"Whatever, Trina," Tori grumbled as she stuck a spoonful of cookie dough into her mouth. The couch dipped and Tori turned her head as a spoon dug into the ice cream in her lap. "What are you doing?" Tori asked, slightly bewildered. Trina was sitting next to her, her own sweatpant-clad legs propped up on the coffee table.

"Joining you, duh," Trina answered, shoving her spoon into her mouth. Tori smiled and turned her attention back to the movie. Trina really wasn't that bad. She was crazy, sure, but Tori knew she could have done a lot worse than Trina for a sister.

They watched the movie, making surprisingly quick work of the ice cream as they did. When it was over, Tori stood up, handing the ice cream to Trina, and moved to switch out the movies. They started watching the second movie, almost finishing off the ice cream in the first few minutes. Trina sent a quick text to their mom, asking her to pick some more up on the way home from work. Tori got a little teary-eyed when Dobby first appeared on screen. Trina rolled her eyes but wrapped an arm around Tori's shoulders while she mumbled about how Dobby died 'a free elf'. "That's not even in this movie," Trina tried to say, only for Tori to sob loudly into her shoulder. "Gross, you got snot on my shirt. But it's not like you're not upset or anything," Trina rolled her eyes and gave her sister a squeeze.

At some point they got a blanket. Their mom came home, placed a carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream on the table in front of them and kissed the tops of both their heads before heading off to her room. Their dad came home shortly after that, pausing to watch a few minutes of the movie before leaving to join his wife. Trina got up to switch to the third movie. Tori and Trina started quoting random lines to each other, until it reached the point that they were saying dialogue before the actors did. They poked at the ice cream, but didn't eat much, and once Harry was flying off on his new broom, Trina put it in the freezer and Tori returned the movie to its case, a huge yawn pulling through her torso and stretching out her arms and mouth.

"I think it's time for bed," Trina said as she stifled her own yawn and walked out from the kitchen, coming to a stop next to the piano. "I still need my beauty sleep."

Tori smiled with a nod, crossing the room to stand next to her sister. "Thanks for watching the movies with me."

Trina rolled her eyes and ruffled her little sister's hair. "Yeah yeah. It wasn't _that_ bad of a Friday night, even if I did turn down a date to hang out with you."

Tori's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You turned down a _date_? To stay _home_? With _me_?"

Trina shrugged and flipped her hand over. "He may have cancelled at the last minute and I didn't really have anything better to do."

"Ah," Tori said slowly. "Well, thanks all the same. Now I'm going to my room before this gets too mushy."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Trina replied, raising an arm to signal Tori to go upstairs first.

Tori nodded and headed up the steps, Trina following close behind. She gave her sister a small wave when she ducked into her room and Tori continued down the hallway to the bathroom they shared. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, the warm water relaxing her even more, and Tori was glad that she'd chosen to stay home. She knew that she'd been tense recently, and she understood exactly why, but she hadn't realized just how much she needed a calm, quiet night just to herself. Herself and Trina, Tori thought with a smile, as she crossed the hall to her bedroom.

Tori slept well. Better than she had the rest of the week, that's for sure. She woke up Saturday morning, the smell of coffee and the sound of her parents' voices drifting up the stairs. She rolled over in bed, scrunching herself further under the covers, and glanced at her clock. It wasn't even eight yet, and she could probably fall back to sleep for a little bit. She was debating whether or not to shut her eyes again when the smell of cinnamon joined the coffee and Tori was pulled from bed. She kicked her feet onto the carpet and threw back her blankets, a hand reaching out to grab her glasses off her bedside table. Tori pushed them onto her face as she stood up and wandered out into the hall.

Her mom was sitting at the kitchen table with a steaming mug of coffee, and her dad was hunched over the stove, a tacky 'Kiss the Cook' apron with lipstick marks all over it hanging from his neck. "Whatchya makin'?" Tori asked as she hopped down the steps and meandered towards the table.

Her dad glanced up and smiled before turning his attention back to the pan. "French toast, you want some?"

Tori's eyes grew wide as she pulled out a chair and sat down. "Yes, please! So why the fancy breakfast?"

Her mom shrugged as she sipped at her coffee, her fingers wrapped around the warm mug. "Just enjoying a lazy Saturday morning. Neither of us is working today, so we're just enjoying ourselves."

Tori nodded her head and smiled. "Sounds nice. You have any big plans?"

Her mom glanced over her shoulder as her dad turned away from the stove, then they both looked to Tori. "We were thinking of having a date day or something. Just the two of us. Maybe do some shopping, go to a movie, have a nice dinner out."

"Trina will want to tag along," Tori grinned. "You know she can't pass up the chance for free food or shopping."

Her dad cocked a brow as he flipped over some toast. "Yeah, we were kind of hoping to get out of the house before she woke up."

"Don't tell her that, though," her mom added with a serious look.

Tori raised a finger and sketched an 'X' over her heart. "Your secret is safe with me."

"How 'bout you?" Her mom asked with a smile. "You plan on doing anything with your friends?"

Tori shrugged and leaned back in her chair. "I'm not sure. I might just hang out here. Go for a swim or something. It's been pretty crazy at school lately and I could use a relaxing day to myself."

"You alright?" Her mom asked worriedly, her eyebrows digging a crease in her forehead as the back of her hand pressed against Tori's cheek.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mom," Tori answered with a smile as her mom felt her forehead.

"Okay," she said slowly, bringing her hand away, "but you know you can talk to your father or I any time if you need to, right?"

"Any time at all, kiddo," her dad repeated, flipping the French toast again. Tori smiled at them both and her dad jerked his head towards one of the cabinets. "Why don't you get out some plates and we can dish this stuff up." Tori grinned and did as instructed, grabbing a glass of orange juice while her dad served up the toast. Her mom fetched the syrup from the cabinet and they all sat down to dig into their breakfast.

They'd finished eating and Tori offered to clean up while her parents got ready, since Trina still hadn't woken up and they wanted to hurry out for their day together. She was up to her elbows in water as she scrubbed out the pan when her parents came back downstairs, all smiles as her dad slapped some money down on the counter next to her. "In case you want to order a pizza or something later," he said, planting a quick kiss on the top of her head. Tori smiled as her mom did the same and she told them to have fun as they headed out the front door, a soapy hand rising to wave goodbye.

Tori hummed to herself as her hands splashed around in the sink, moving from the pan to the sticky plates and forks. She hadn't really thought about what she was going to do during the day, but hanging out at home did sound pretty good. The sun was shining brightly through the windows and the trees were rustling in a light breeze; it would be a perfect day to just lie out by the pool and listen to some music. Tori's hand groped around under all the suds until it pulled the plug in the bottom of the sink. She shook her hand lightly as the water drained and then set to rinsing all the dishes before sticking them in the rack to dry. She had just grabbed a towel to dry her hands when Trina bounded down the stairs, a frantic look in her eyes. "Is there French toast? I smelled French toast."

"Uh, good morning?" Tori said hesitantly, wrapping the towel around her hands.

"French toast!"

"We saved you a plate," Tori gestured towards the oven. "It's in there keeping warm."

Trina looked terrifying as she ran to the oven. She yanked the door open and snatched the plate out, salivating as she stalked towards the table.

"Right," Tori took a small step towards the stairs, "you enjoy that, then." Trina didn't even wave her off or acknowledge her at all, just dug into her breakfast with her bare hands.

Tori hung out in her room for a bit. Checked her email, deleting old Slap messages and some spam offers to enlarge things that she definitely didn't have, and a few for things she did, but wouldn't want to enlarge anyway. She logged onto the Slap and signed in, seeing a few status updates about karaoke the night before. A slow smile stretched across her lips as she read Jade's "**Karaoke is lame tonight, why did I let Cat drag me to this?**" status and the entire conversation, 43 comments long, that followed. Tori scrolled down, laughing at the messages Cat, Andre and Robbie were sending to each other. The whole thing ended with Jade's **"YOU'RE ALL SITTING AT THE SAME TABLE! GET OFF MY PAGE!" **Tori chuckled, but it stopped abruptly. Right. She didn't want to be thinking about Jade, and reading the girl's Slap page was definitely not conducive to her goal. Tori quickly logged off and closed her laptop. She rolled onto her back, staring up at her ceiling with her hands folded across her stomach.

And of course the only thing she could think about was Jade. Tori sighed and her head fell to the side, her eyes lifting to her window. She swallowed hard, almost seeing the silhouettes of herself and Jade standing there. Tori hadn't meant for it to happen like that. She had thought it would be like the other times, awkward on a swingset when she was hardly old enough to know what was going on, or quick and sloppy on her doorstep after the first date. But it had barely been a whisper, a shadow of Jade's lips on hers. Tori was sure that the kiss had been over before it even really began, but that hadn't stopped her entire body from erupting in a way it never had before. Tori could only imagine what it would be like if they kissed with intention. Because that one wouldn't even register as an accident. It wouldn't even register as a kiss. If that was really a kiss, then Tori had practically made out with her Great Aunt Camilla like a dozen times. The woman always gave awkwardly intimate hugs.

Tori choked back a laugh at the thought and rolled off her bed. She needed to not think about Jade, or her Great Aunt, and the best way to do that was with music and sunshine. Tori quickly swapped out her pajamas for her favorite bikini and grabbed her phone. She trotted downstairs, passing by a sleeping Trina on the sofa, and headed outside. The air was as warm as it looked from indoors. Tori closed her eyes and threw her head back, letting the early morning sunlight beat down on her face as her fingers worked to unravel the ridiculous knots in her earbud cord. A content smile settled on her lips as she popped them into her ears and focused her attention on the screen, scrolling through options until she found the perfect playlist to listen to. Tori sat down in one of the lounge chairs next to the pool, her phone in her lap, and closed her eyes as the music pushed all thoughts from her mind.

Sometimes Tori felt like a cat or dog, because as soon as the sun hit her, she just wanted to stretch out and bask. Basking usually turned to napping, though, and she was hot when she woke up. Hot and sweating, Tori realized as she sat up, pulling the headphones from her ears. She checked the time on her phone and realized she'd been asleep for almost two hours. And she had a text message from Andre.

**Hey, you havin another date with Harry Potter or you wanna hang out for a bit?**

Tori frowned and turned a squinted eye up to the sky. She'd been a little preoccupied with Jade related things lately, as had he, and they hadn't really hung out all week. She brought her attention back to her phone and told him she was hanging out by her pool if he wanted to join.

**Pool? Yeah I'm in!**

Tori laughed at how quickly he responded, then decided she'd throw out an invitation to the others as well. Cat, Beck and Robbie all said they'd join, and Tori just hoped that none of them would invite Jade. She felt bad about not inviting her, but Jade had made a decision by not making a decision. And Tori needed to try and move on, stop obsessing over something that seemed like it might never happen. If Jade wanted Tori in her life, then all she had to do was ask. Tori wasn't going to wait around for that to happen, but she would listen if Jade was ever willing to talk.

It didn't take long for everyone to show up, and Tori suspected that the promise of sunshine and a pool and pizza for dinner had her friends moving at lightning speeds, because she'd hardly swum a few laps before voices were floating across her yard, and her friends were tromping through the grass, faces lit up with laughter. Tori swam to the edge of the pool, grinning as Cat ran right up to the edge of the concrete patio, sandals flapping under her feet. She had a giant inflated tube with a happy looking hippo head around her waist. "Hi, Tori!" Cat squealed, throwing her towel onto one of the lounge chairs.

"Hey, Cat," Tori answered as the hyperactive redhead kicked her sandals off and sent them flying.

The boys all strolled up after Cat, smiling and greeting Tori. She waved and said hi, smiling as they set down their towels and took off their own sandals. Robbie set Rex down on top of his towel and pulled a tube of sunscreen out of his pocket. "Can someone put this on my back? If I get burned I'll peel like a banana for weeks." Robbie turned to face his friends, who were all looking nervously at each other, with the exception of Cat, who was bending gracefully to dip her toes into the pool.

"I would," Tori started, "but I'm all wet already."

Beck and Andre made excuses, shuffling their feet uncomfortably as they started to take off their shirts. Robbie turned desperate eyes on Cat. "Can you lotion me up?"

"Robbie, you're so weird," Cat giggled. But she clapped her hands and skipped over to him all the same. Tori laughed and turned around as Andre jumped into the deep end, his dreadlocked hair flying out behind him. Beck slid in right after and soon Cat and Robbie joined them.

They all swam and joked around, Cat bobbing in the shallow end with her hippo floaty like a strange little duck. Beck and Andre got into a cannonball contest that ended when Beck managed a spectacular belly flop after Cat distracted him mid-jump and he called the whole thing off, surrendering to Andre's superior skills. Tori offered to bring everyone some drinks and Andre offered to help her carry them. Tori accepted, not thinking anything of it, but found herself cornered in the kitchen, a glass in each hand and Andre standing firmly in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest. "Uh… hi?"

"Why didn't you invite Jade? I thought you two have been getting along lately."

Tori hadn't been expecting him to ask her about Jade, and certainly not so bluntly. "I just didn't think she'd want to come?"

"Right. It's a gorgeous day and all her friends are here, but she wouldn't wanna be bothered with the drive. What's up, Tori?"

Tori blew a breath of air out of the corner of her mouth. "Nothing's wrong. I just… didn't invite her."

"Look," Andre said carefully, taking the glasses from her hands and setting them on the counter next to the others. "I don't know what's up with you two, but I have eyes, alright? Eyes and ears, and they're telling me that something's up. Something is goin' on and I've been trying to give you space or time or whatever, but you gotta talk to me here, chica."

Tori opened and closed her mouth a few times. She had no idea how to respond to that. Did Andre know? Had Jade told him something? No, Tori thought forcefully, Jade hadn't told anyone. She was certain of that. "I just, ya know, and she, like, and then…" Tori finished lamely with a shrug and Andre tilted his chin down, one of his eyebrows arching high on his forehead while the other dug down. Tori groaned and buried her face in her palms. "Is it that obvious?"

"That you and Jade are in love with each other? Yeah," Andre answered honestly, "but only because I'm looking."

"Oh my god," Tori groaned, wishing she could just disappear from this conversation. "It's not- we're not- I don't even know-" She felt strong hands on her wrists, but they were gentle as they pulled her hands away from her face, and then she was looking into Andre's caring and comforting eyes.

"I've seen the way you look at her, and I've heard the way she thinks about you. I don't know the whole story, but from the bits I've read, you've both got it pretty bad."

Tori's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What do you mean 'the way she thinks about me'?"

Andre sighed, releasing Tori's wrists. "You know that song we had to write for class? The one I helped her record?" Tori nodded. "Well, I wasn't sure at first, and I'm still not positive, but," he trailed off, the corner of his mouth twisting as his eyes darted to the side. "She called it 'Firefly'."

Tori's eyebrows disappeared somewhere near her scalp. "Firefly?"

"Yeah," Andre nodded. "I'm guessing that means somethin' to you?" Tori nodded dumbly, her lips slightly parted. "At first I thought it might have been about Beck, ya know, their breakup, but the more I listened to the lyrics, that just didn't really fit."

"Lyrics," Tori repeated. She couldn't believe it. If what Andre was saying was true, and it must've been because it would be a cruel joke if he was lying, then Jade had written a song about her. For her? Tori didn't know, but for as much as she didn't want to think about Jade, all she wanted to do was hear that song.

"Lyrics," Andre echoed, a grin twitching across his lips, "you know, the word part of a song?" Tori swatted his arm impatiently, urging him to continue explaining. "I mean, some of the stuff she was sayin' was really-"

"What's the hold up? You've got thirsty friends waiting!"

Tori wanted to grab one of the glasses and shatter it against Robbie's skull. The back door had swung open and his head was peering around its edge, a huge smile stretched across his face.

"No hold up," Andre said with a forced chuckle. "We'll be right out, man."

Robbie glanced from Andre to Tori and back again before giving a small nod, his grin quickly disappearing along with the rest of him. Tori quickly turned back to Andre, her eyes wide. He cleared his throat as he started picking up some glasses. "Look, we'll be in the Black Box Monday during second period. Jade's fourth on the list to perform. Maybe you should just hear it for yourself." Andre was walking away, using his foot to push open the door before heading out to join the others. Tori stayed in the kitchen for a minute, trying to gather her thoughts and calm her suddenly racing heart. Andre had just dropped a bomb and Tori had no idea how to deal with it. Monday? She really had to wait until Monday to hear the song that Jade maybe, sort of, probably wrote about her? That seemed like forever.

She shook her head and grabbed the last two glasses, quickly heading back outside. Cat was sitting on the edge of the pool, her feet splashing playfully in the water with a glass clutched between her hands. Tori smiled and handed a drink to Beck before sitting down next to the redhead. "I thought you were getting lemonade. Why's this pink?" Beck asked curiously as he walked through the shallow end to stand in front of Tori and Cat.

"It's pink lemonade," Tori answered, her mind a million miles away.

"I've never seen any pink lemons," Beck stated, taking a sip.

"There are no pink lemons."

Beck looked a little surprised and quirked a brow. "So what makes it pink?"

Tori blinked, pulled back to the present, and Cat's feet stopped kicking, her head tilted to the side and waiting for Tori to answer. "Well… you know, it's… shut up!" Tori took a drink of her own lemonade and tried not to blush as Beck chuckled and set his glass down next to her. Tori sighed and took another drink, wishing that it was easier not to think about a certain missing member of their group. She felt as confused as she had when she first arrived at Hollywood Arts. Back when she had no idea whatsoever about what Jade was thinking or doing. Not that she'd gained much insight since then, but she felt like she'd just been sent back to the start, without any idea about anything.

"No really, what makes it pink?"

"Magic, Cat. Magic makes it pink." Tori didn't even look at her as she almost dropped her glass in the pool out of excitement. Instead she just watched the guys horse around near the edge as Beck said something that resulted in Andre trying to dunk his head under the water.

Tori was pulled from her funk a while later when Robbie and Beck decided she needed to have more fun and picked her up, throwing her bodily into the water. They'd jumped in after her and Tori couldn't be mad at their huge smiles. They didn't know what was wrong; she couldn't hold it against them. Instead she splashed them and jumped on Beck's back, demanding that he carry her around. He had, and for a while, too, which made Cat want to be carried around. Robbie almost drowned trying to oblige and Andre swam in to save them both. After that they all sat on lounge chairs and the grass, letting the sun dry them as they joked around and told Tori stories about Sikowitz. Apparently the man was much crazier than Tori had ever realized, but it almost made him more endearing in her eyes.

"You guys want pizza?" Beck asked once the sun had started to set. "Apollo's has a special on Saturdays."

"My parents left me money for some," Tori said, using her fingers to brush out her damp hair.

"Nah, you paid for all of us last time. We can cover it tonight," Andre offered and everyone else agreed.

"Aww, thanks, guys," Tori said, genuinely happy.

"It's the least we can do after throwing you in the pool," Robbie smiled.

"Yeah it is." Tori playfully shoved his shoulder and he beamed.

The next few minutes were spent trying to decide what they wanted and then Beck placed the order, confirming Tori's address quickly before giving it to the guy on the phone. Once he hung up they all headed inside, towels thrown over their shoulders and Cat's inflatable hippo bouncing along the ground behind her. Everyone settled down on the sofas to watch tv and wait for the pizza while Tori headed upstairs to change. She was just about to go into her room when frantic footsteps ran down the hall.

"Is Beck still here?"

Tori turned around to find her sister about an inch in front of her face. "Whoa. And yeah, he is. Hey, why didn't you join us outside? I figured you would've wanted to show off your 'hot bikini bod' or something."

Trina scoffed. "Please, it takes a lot of effort to look this effortlessly perfect," she said as she drew a circle in the air around her face. "I only just finished doing my hair. But as long as he's still here I'll join you guys downstairs."

"Oh joy," Tori smiled, the sarcasm evident enough that even Trina picked up on it. She just scowled and headed off down the hall as Tori closed her door. Tori shook her head and chuckled to herself, dropping her phone onto her desk. She quickly changed, opting for a pair of shorts and a long sleeved t-shirt. She grabbed her phone and was just about to leave when it beeped, her screen saying that she'd gotten a private message on the Slap. Tori frowned, wondering who it could have been since the people she talked to the most were all in her house, and opened the app up. Her mouth fell open into a tiny 'o' as she read Jade's message.

**So you have a pool party and invite everyone but me? That seems a little cruel for you, Vega.**

Tori chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about how to respond, or if she should at all. She hadn't meant to be cruel. And after what Andre had said, she felt ridiculously guilty about not inviting Jade. But how many times could Tori try to step forward, only for Jade to either push her back or step even further away?

Her phone beeped again, with a text from Andre, and Tori opened it with a confused frown.

**Trina's been down here for five seconds and she's already claimed Beck and made Robbie cry.**

"Oh man, Trina," Tori grumbled as she threw her phone on the bed and ran off down the hall, Jade's message completely pushed from her mind by the more pressing issue at hand. Downstairs, Tori and Andre managed to pry Trina off the lap of a very relieved looking Beck. Tori pulled her sister to the side and sternly told her to stop terrorizing her friends. Trina huffed and rolled her eyes and was about to argue, but Tori put on her scary face and pointed a finger in Trina's face. "I'm serious. Plus, if you scare Beck he'll never want to come back here to hang out and then how will you convince him to date you?" Trina seemed to think Tori made a valid point because she calmed down after that and sat only slightly awkwardly close to him.

They all sat on the sofas, eating pizza and watching tv, occasionally speaking up to comment on the show or a funny commercial. By the time everyone collected their things and headed out, Tori had forgotten about the message from Jade. That was, of course, until she went back into her room and saw her phone sitting on her bed. It was with tentative hands that Tori picked it up and read Jade's message again. She didn't know how to respond to it at all. Maybe she just wouldn't. Maybe she'd wait until Monday and try to see what happened. If Jade confronted her, or ignored her completely.

Tori scrolled through the status updates and frowned. Cat had uploaded a picture earlier in the day of everyone hanging out by the pool. Andre had an arm around Robbie's shoulders and Beck was frozen, mid-jump, next to them. Tori was sitting on the edge of the pool, a huge smile stretching across her face as she looked up at them all. It wasn't obvious right away where they were. They could have been anywhere. At any pool. But Tori understood that Jade would see it and know, straight away, where the picture had been taken. The girl had certainly spent enough time in Tori's backyard that she would probably recognize it anywhere. That must have been how Jade found out.

Tori sighed and scrolled back up, stopping when she saw that Jade had updated her status not too long after the picture had been posted. Not too long before she'd messaged Tori. Jade's status simply said: **It's interesting to see a new side of someone. Not always good, but interesting. **Tori closed the app and tossed her phone back onto her bed. She knew Jade well enough to know that she was hurt that Tori hadn't invited her, even if she didn't say it outright. She would never say it outright. It was like the time Tori went to the zoo with one of their classmates and Jade hadn't been invited. Although, that wasn't Tori's fault since the other girl had asked Tori to go, but still. Jade had moped around for almost a week after that, simply because she thought Tori had wanted to hang out with someone else more than her. Tori felt guilty. Like she'd done something wrong by not inviting Jade. And maybe she had, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Tori raised a hand and rubbed at her temple. Maybe the right thing wasn't always the good thing.

Tori didn't know what to do. She didn't want to cut Jade out completely. Not at all. But she also didn't want to sit around and wait for an indefinite period of time while Jade tried to decide how they fit together and if she wanted any part of it. It was dumb, and if Jade would just talk to her, they could sort everything out. But Jade wasn't one for talking, and Tori didn't want to push her, in case she ended up pushing too hard. Tori groaned and collapsed on her bed. It was all so dumb, but maybe she had to just buck up and put herself out there. If she did, then maybe it would force Jade into making a move, a decision, of some sort. Or, she thought with a small cringe, Jade would continue on her path of non-involvement and Tori would just be hung out to dry.

Her hand fumbled above her head, groping around the sheets until her fingers closed around the plastic and metal of her phone. She rolled onto her back, holding her phone above her face as her fingers tapped away and opened the message on the Slap. Tori caught her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyebrows knitting together as she responded. Her fingers typed away, stopping every so often to delete or change things around. She wanted to say what she needed to say, without being brash or rude. Or making herself cry. She took several minutes to type it out and then read over the whole message. She stared at the last line, chewing on her lip as her eyes scanned it over and over. **If you want to talk, I'll listen, but I can't wait around anymore.** She'd had that thought a lot, and it seemed fitting that she voiced it to Jade. Even if that voice was digital text. Tori nodded to herself, steeling her own nerves, and moved her thumb to hit Send. There was a whooshing sound, or maybe she just imagined it, as the message flew off into cyberspace and then she was staring at her inbox. Either Jade would finally open up, completely, or any chance for them to be a _them_ was gone.

Tori didn't do much else on Saturday. She read for a bit and tried to ignore Trina while she practiced her vocal exercises. Her parents came home, draped all over each other, and barely said hi to their daughters before disappearing into their bedroom. Sunday dawned bright and early and Tori hung out in bed for a while, watching random videos on SplashFace and compulsively checking her Slap page. Jade hadn't responded to her message during the night. Tori wasn't sure if she was expecting her to, honestly, but she still had the hope that maybe a notification would ping through and there'd be… _something_. Tori sighed as she closed her laptop and placed it on top of her pillow. She climbed out from under the covers and wandered downstairs. Her parents had gone to work, and Trina must have still been sleeping, because the house was quiet. Tori spent a while in front of the television, her glasses resting on her nose and her phone in her hand, being lit up at every commercial break as Tori checked for a message that just wasn't there. Trina wandered down at one point for food and then disappeared. Tori took a shower, setting up a dock for her PearPod so that she could listen to music and try to distract herself from thinking about Jade. It didn't really work but she had tried it anyway.

Trina left shortly after, saying something about meeting up with a friend for lunch. Tori went back to watching tv. She spent part of the afternoon fiddling around with the piano. There was a melody she was trying to remember, something from childhood that she just couldn't get right. She got close a couple times, but it was like trying to catch smoke and her fingers just couldn't manage. She tried to sing it instead, but her voice didn't have the weight, the heaviness, that Jade's did. And once Tori realized she was trying to sing a song she and Jade had made up on a rainy afternoon, she stopped. And then it was back to the television.

Her mom came home from work and commandeered the remote. Tori didn't really feel like watching a show about nightmare brides, so she retreated to her room and opened her laptop. Before she knew what she was doing, the Slap was opened and she was obsessively refreshing her messages, like if she did it enough, sheer willpower alone would result in a change on the page. It didn't and she gave up trying. It got dark outside and she turned on the small lamp next to her bed, snuggling up against the headboard with a battered paperback in her hands. She must have fallen asleep, because a car horn blaring outside snapped her awake, and her clock said it was one in the morning. The book was still in her hand, her thumb tucked into the crease between pages, and her glasses were askew on her face. She blinked a few times as tires screeched and the car peeled away and then she licked her lips. She put the book, and her glasses, on her bedside table. She turned out the light and just collapsed against the pillows.

The first thing she did after turning her alarm off Monday morning was grab her phone and check her Slap page. Still no message, although Cat had added a ton of pictures and slapped Tori in some from Saturday. Tori didn't even know that Cat had taken so many. She really was a little ninja. Tori's eyebrow cocked when she saw one of Jade looking extremely wazzed off. She was standing outside some restaurant called Taco the Town and screaming at a man in a red apron. The caption read **Jade made a new friend!** A disbelieving chuckle escaped Tori's lips as she put her phone on her end table. Either Cat really was that clueless or Jade just had an extremely odd way of showing affection. Well, Tori knew the latter wasn't true. Jade could be affectionate when she wanted, which wasn't very often. Jade didn't do most things very often. A frown tugged at Tori's lips and she climbed out of bed, her stomach growling as it decided that breakfast of some sort was in order since she had accidentally skipped dinner the night before.

Her feet padded down the steps and carried her into an empty kitchen. There was a note on the counter from her mom saying she had to go into work early, and an addendum from her dad saying the same. Typical day at the Vega house then, Tori thought as she fixed herself a bowl of cereal.

Tori sat down at the table and had just taken a bite of cereal when she realized it was Monday. And she remembered what Andre had said was happening. Jade was singing. That song she'd written. Tori had almost forgotten about it, what with the obsessing over the message. She forced her mouth to chew as she pushed her cereal around in the milk with her spoon. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it or not. No, she wanted to hear it, she was curious as to what Jade had written that had Andre convinced Jade had feelings for her, but… well, she wasn't sure if she actually wanted to hear it. Because what if it just complicated things even further? Tori wasn't sure if she could handle the situation with Jade becoming even more complex than it already was. Although, really, it should have been simple, Tori thought as she lifted the spoon to her mouth again. It should have just been "Oh, hey, we used to be friends, what's up? How have you been?" and instead it had turned into a word problem in a foreign language with branches of mathematics that she hadn't even heard of yet. So Tori was just kind of stuck there, staring at the blackboard, hoping that Jade would slip her a cheat sheet.

"Hey, sistah friend," Trina called happily, causing Tori's head to turn. The older Vega skipped down the stairs, a huge smile on her face and a spring in her step.

"Why are you so happy?" Tori asked as she lifted her spoon to her mouth.

"I had an _awesome_ dream last night." Trina wasted absolutely no time delving into every last detail about how she had become an internationally famous pop singer slash movie star and ended up marrying some super-hot English actor. Tori nodded along to her spoon bobbing in the milk in her bowl, and Trina took it as a sign of interest, gabbing away as she joined her sister at the table with a plate of toast. They ate breakfast, Trina chattering on and Tori eventually giving up on the soggy mess in her bowl, before heading upstairs to get ready for school.

Tori wasn't nervous, exactly. There might've been a slight tightness in her belly, but more than that was the frown tugging down the corner of her mouth. Indecision. She rummaged through her locker, looking for her math book, trying to decide if she'd go to second period, or skip to watch Jade perform. Tori didn't really fancy the idea of skipping class. It just wasn't her, and they were starting up a new segment and she'd hate to fall behind at all. Maybe she could just like… Tori's teeth sunk into her bottom lip. She had no idea what she could do. Or what she wanted to do.

A body invaded her peripheral and Tori looked up as Beck leaned against the lockers next to her. "Hey," he said, shrugging a shoulder to adjust his backpack strap, "I didn't leave my phone at your house Saturday, did I?"

"Uh," Tori's eyes drifted away before pulling back to him. "I didn't see it? And unless Trina found it and is holding it hostage, I don't think so." Beck grinned and she smiled in return as she slipped her math book into her bag.

"Your sister wouldn't actually, you know, do that, would she?"

"I have no idea what she's capable of," Tori chuckled, closing her locker. "One time she beat up Darla the Dolphin to steal the costume so she could get into a birthday party because she had a crush on the kid's older brother."

Beck's eyebrows rose a bit in shock. "Whoa. Your sister's even crazier than she seems."

"I try to warn people," Tori said with a shrug, a smile still pulling at her lips.

"Yo, Beck!"

They both looked up to see a manic looking Andre rushing down the hallway towards them. Andre shoved a phone against Beck's chest, his eyes wide with fear. "You left your phone in my car, man. I can't take it. It's been ringing all morning. It's driving me crazy!"

Beck grinned and pushed his hair out of his eyes with his right hand while his left thumb started tapping at the screen. "Thanks, man." Beck clapped Andre on the shoulder, head bowed down over his phone as he wandered off.

Andre shook his head slightly in disbelief as he watched Beck's retreating form. "I don't know how he deals with those Northridge girls."

Tori laughed and wrapped her hands around the straps of her bag as Andre turned fully to face her. "So what'd you get up to yesterday?"

"Not much," Andre answered as they started walking slowly down the hall towards Sikowtiz's. "My grandma had some friends over for dinner, so that was eventful."

"Eventful?" Tori echoed, her eyebrows rising in curiosity.

"Yeah, I don't wanna talk about it. I've already started to repress the memories," Andre said with a light laugh. "So," he bumped his shoulder against hers, "you gonna hit up the Black Box during second period?"

Tori sighed as they walked into class, glad that no one else was there yet. "I haven't decided yet. I just," she shrugged as they sat down at the front of the class, setting their bags down on the floor by their feet, "I don't know."

"Well, I think you should." He turned in his seat, resting his left arm over the back of his chair. "It can't hurt to listen to it, and maybe it'll help sort out whatever's goin' on with you two."

"I don't know. Why are you pushing this so hard, anyway?" Tori asked, a teasing smile breaking across her face.

Andre grinned and stretched his legs out in front of him. "I just hate seein' you all wonked out over stuff."

"Well aren't you sweet." Tori leaned into him and nudged his side with her elbow, causing him to curl away slightly. She straightened up and grinned as he settled back into his relaxed pose.

"It's what all the ladies tell me," he sighed, a satisfied look taking over his features.

Tori shook her head and playfully pushed his shoulder. She was glad that he was being so laid back about everything, and it had been nice to admit out loud to someone other than Trina what was going on. Because Andre knew Jade, or at least had seen more of the person she was now than Tori had. She almost wanted to pick his brain, try and find out what he knew and what he suspected and maybe ask him about every single encounter he had ever had with Jade. Because if Tori could figure out what had happened during the time where she wasn't a part of Jade's life, then maybe she could understand how Jade got to the point she was at. And maybe Tori could understand her better. Figure out how to proceed with the whole thing. Although, she thought as she tucked some hair behind her ear and waved at Cat as she plopped into the seat behind them, Tori still wasn't sure if she wanted to.

The class gathered quickly, chatter and small conversations filling up the room as everyone waited for Sikowitz. Tori tried not to be too obvious as she watched Jade, who was leaning forward in her seat, her elbows resting on her crossed legs, staring at the cup of coffee clutched between her hands. It was hard, though, because Jade was in the back row and Tori was turned around completely in her chair, pretending to listen to Andre and Cat's conversation. Tori saw the way Jade's forehead was twitching, small creases appearing and then being smoothed out as she tried to control her expression. No, it wasn't twitching. It was emotions rolling across her face, like water lapping at the sand on the beach. Coming and going every so often, each new wave wiping away the traces of the one before it. Jade's head lifted slightly and Tori jerked in her seat, quickly looking at Cat instead.

Sikowitz barged into the room at the exact moment the bell rang, and everyone settled down, turning to face the front as he strolled up to the stage and right to the white board. He uncapped a marker and started drawing something that looked like a flower with outstretched petals, switching to different colors for each petal. "Okay, children. Today we are going to talk about _emotions_. Obviously, as actors, we must master our emotions. We have to understand them, and we have to be able to pull them to the surface at any given time," he said as he split the center of the flower into eight wedges and then drew lines through the petals. He took a moment to admire his handiwork and then stepped away, using the marker to point at his drawing. "Can anyone tell me what this is?"

"Plutchik's wheel."

All heads turned to look at Jade, who was sipping at her coffee and looking extremely bored, before turning back to Sikowitz. "Very good, Jade. Now, for those of you who don't know, the wheel breaks down emotions and feelings into very basic ideas. Understanding how feelings relate to each other, or are the result of simpler, more primal emotions, can help you portray them better. We might be getting a little psychological with this lesson, so try to pay attention." Tori's eyes widened and she tried to focus on Sikowitz writing words in the wedges and spaces on the petals, explaining each thing as he wrote it.

The class was unusually tame for Sikowitz. They'd spent the entire period covering the wheel, and Sikowitz had ended class with the rather cryptic statement of "I hope you all actually paid attention." Tori wasn't the only one who thought it was odd, and there was a hum of whispers and murmurs as everyone filed into the hallway. Tori felt a hand wrap around her elbow and didn't need to look to know who it was. "I don't know, Andre, so don't ask."

"Just," he sighed and pulled her off to the side, allowing a few students to pass them in the hallway. "She's up fourth. It'll be like twenty minutes. You've got twenty minutes to decide." He gave a half-hearted shrug and walked away.

Tori rolled her eyes, upset at her own confusion and indecision, and saw a blur of red fly by. "Cat!" She jerked forward, like she was a puppet and her master was still learning the finer points of marionette. "Cat, wait up!"

The petite redhead turned around and smiled when she saw Tori running towards her. "Hey, Tori," she said with a wave.

"Hey." Tori hooked her arm through Cat's elbow and they started walking towards math. If Cat thought it was strange, she certainly didn't say anything, and she seemed just as blissfully content as always. Tori took a deep breath. "Tell me about Jade."

Cat giggled and Tori wasn't sure what was funny. "Well," Cat started slowly, "it's an ornamental stone, usually used for-"

"What? No, Cat. _Jade_. Your friend?"

"Oh! _Jade_!" Cat giggled and Tori resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands. Instead she steered Cat through the corridors. "What about her?"

Tori shrugged, dislodging their linked arms slightly. "I dunno. Do you ever get tired of her? Fed up?"

Cat's nose scrunched up as she thought about it. "Not really, no. She gets sick of _me_ sometimes, though, and we won't talk for a day or two. That makes me sad, but she always brings me candy once she's done being mad at me."

"And that doesn't, like, bother you?" They were almost to class, and Tori wasn't sure why she was asking anyway. She figured she just wanted someone else's take on the girl. She wanted someone to tell her what to do.

"Of course not, I love candy!"

"No, I meant… nevermind," Tori sighed as they walked into the classroom.

"Kay kay," Cat chirped as they took their seats.

Tori pulled out her book and notes and then rested her chin in her palm, her gaze drifting to the clock above the door. She didn't want to do what she knew she'd end up doing. She could feel the pull inside of her, the impatience in her feet, trying to tug her from her desk. She didn't want it, though. Or maybe she did. She frowned and tried to pay attention as her teacher started writing out equations on the board. Tori didn't know what to do. She didn't want to wait around, she knew that, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she couldn't just go chasing after Jade either. It wasn't fair for Tori to have to do all the work. There were two people involved, after all, but she just didn't know if Jade would ever actually put in any effort. And the thought hurt Tori. Because there she was, torn up and twisted all around over Jade, and the other girl seemed almost okay. There were moments where Tori could see turmoil, but they faded, or were covered up, and it wasn't fair. Because how was she supposed to know what was actually happening if Jade refused to say anything or let it show.

Tori's eyes grew wide when she realized her hand was in the air. The teacher tilted her head and Tori cleared her throat. "I don't feel well. Can I go to the nurse?"

"Do you think you'll be back by the end of class?" She stepped up to her desk and grabbed the hall pass.

"I don't know," Tori answered. The teacher frowned, placing the hall pass back on her desk and waved Tori off.

Tori threw her things into her bag, ignoring the look she got from Cat, and rushed from the room. Her feet carried her quickly through the halls and straight to the Black Box. The main doors were closed, but Tori could hear loud music coming from inside. If she went in through the main doors, everyone would see her and, more than likely, she'd be sent back to class. Or the nurse's office. Tori caught her bottom lip between her teeth and scooted down the small corridor next to the theater. She carefully stepped up next to one of the curtains and slowly pulled it aside. There weren't many people, maybe a dozen or so students, and they were all staring intently at the boy at the front of the room.

Tori's eyes scanned the students, finding Andre quickly. And, Tori realized with a gulp, Jade sitting right next to him. Jade tilted her head to the left and Andre leaned to the right. Tori could see Jade's lips moving, whispering something to him. He straightened up in his seat and turned his head, almost like he was looking for something. He turned in her direction and their eyes met. His face broke into a grin that he quickly covered as he looked back to the kid singing. Tori's gaze drifted to Jade, who was sitting rigidly in her seat. Tori frowned as the song ended and everyone clapped. Had Andre told Jade she was there, or was Jade just nervous about having to perform?

The teacher asked the boy on stage a few questions and let the other students give critiques as well before dismissing him back to his seat. "Alright, Jade. You're up."

Jade and Andre both stood and walked down the aisle towards the front of the room. Tori shuffled a bit more through the curtain, trying to still remain hidden from view, but able to actually see Jade clearly. Andre grabbed an acoustic guitar from a rack on the side of the room and slipped the strap around his shoulders. Jade sat down on the stool at the front of the theater and Andre took his place behind her. Jade tilted her head and pushed some hair out of her face, her eyes focused on the floor of the theater, as Andre started to play something soft and simple. Jade's eyes slowly closed and her lips parted and she sang.

_I fell in love next to you_

_Burning fires in this room_

Tori didn't even register what was happening, because the very first line Jade had sung knocked the entire world off its axis. Tori felt the reverberations in the way her knees wobbled and everything seemed to shift around her. And she felt like she was a little kid, tucked into Jade's side under a ceiling made of blankets, listening to the magic in her best friend's voice as they made up entirely new worlds.

_Little one, lie with me_

_Sew your heart to my sleeve_

_We'll stay quiet underneath_

_Shooting stars if it helps you sleep_

Tori's hands tightened around the curtain. She forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat as Jade's voice filled the room, almost drowning out Andre's guitar. Tori could almost see the night sky in her backyard; feel the cool summer breeze as they searched for constellations to claim as their own because the light from the city washed out the real ones.

_And hold me tight, don't let me breathe_

_Feeling like you won't believe_

_There's a firefly loose tonight_

_Better catch it before it burns this place down_

_And I lie if I don't feel so right_

_But the world looks better through your eyes_

Tori's back connected with the wall in the doorframe, her fingers twisted up in the curtain. She'd been waiting for Jade to make a move, and fuck had she ever. The tone in Jade's voice was sad, and almost regretful, but more than that it was laced with hope. And a blunt honesty that seemed to have knocked the air from Tori's lungs. Jade still hadn't opened her eyes, but she was playing out all of her emotions with her voice. Or rather her emotions were playing out her voice, because there were slips and tremors and all sorts of little things that shouldn't have been there, but were. More cracks that Tori saw straight through. Although Jade wasn't trying to cover them up for once.

_Teach my skin those new tricks_

_Warm me up with your lips_

_Heart to heart, melt me down_

_It's too cold in this town_

Jade's eyes slammed open and they didn't even have to move to find Tori, because as soon as her lids parted, bright blue was pinning Tori against the wall. Like Jade had known she was there all along. Tori suddenly wondered if it had even been Andre's idea for her to listen, but found that she didn't really care either way.

_Close your eyes, lean on me_

_Face to mouth, lips to cheek_

_Feeling numb in my feet_

_You're the one to help me get to sleep_

The flaws, the slips and tremors, only served to make Jade's voice even more beautiful. A technically perfect voice is useless without emotion, but too much emotion can destroy technique. Jade's had struck that rare, perfect balance. In Tori's opinion, at least, but she had always been a bit biased where Jade was concerned. Especially when Jade was looking at Tori like they were the only people left on Earth. Like Jade was right there in Tori's yard with her, hands wrapped around arms and eyes cast upward searching for shooting stars to make a wish on.

_It's only been one night of love_

_And maybe that is not enough_

_Hold me tight, don't let me breathe_

_Feeling like you won't believe_

Jade broke the gaze, her attention turning back to the floor as she sang the chorus again and Tori's lungs struggled to work. In and out, that's all they had to do, but her breath was staccato. Sharp and jumpy and not natural and Tori had to get away. She wanted to hear the rest of the song. She wanted to rush up and wrap herself around Jade. She wanted to forget about not waiting and not chasing and just do whatever she had to. But she wanted to breathe more than anything else and she was suffocating on Jade's voice. Like the air in the Black Box was too thick with words and emotions and Tori just physically couldn't function how a human is supposed to.

And then Jade stopped singing, and everyone in the Black Box was clapping. But Tori could still feel Jade's voice. It had seeped inside of her and was spreading out, like ink in water, filling Tori and staining everything she was with its same shade of honesty. It was like a whole new thing flowing through her body, fighting her own blood for space in her veins. Wrapping itself in almost smoky tendrils around vessels and grazing underneath her skin.

The teacher started asking Jade questions, and Tori found herself stumbling backwards, away from the curtain, away from Jade, and down the hallway. She wandered, her brain still filled with fog and _Jade_, and wasn't entirely surprised when she ended up in the janitor's closet. Pulling the door closed, Tori took a deep breath. Jade had done exactly what she wanted her to. She'd acknowledged whatever it was between them, and been totally honest. Jade had made a move and Tori was suddenly overwhelmed with the possibilities before her. She could _be_ with Jade. Tori and Jade could be _Tori and Jade_ again, just like when they were little. Only different, because they weren't kids, and it seemed like both of them were starting to accept just how much things had changed between them. No. Not changed. Evolved. Because Tori had always loved Jade, and she was certain that Jade had always loved her, as well, but that love had grown up just like they had, and it had evolved. Jade had just admitted she felt it, too, and Tori couldn't help the stupidly happy grin that broke out on her face. _Jade loved her. She loved Jade._

The door eased open and Tori practically jumped out of her skin with surprise, quickly covering it up with a nonchalant cough as she nervously smoothed out invisible wrinkles in her shirt.

"You were such a creeper, peeking out from behind the curtains like that. Stalker isn't a good look on you." Jade pushed the door shut, barely glancing at the brunette standing next to her.

"Andre told me to go," Tori said casually, trying to ignore the way her heart had suddenly set off racing inside her chest.

Jade nodded and folded her arms across her chest. "I know."

"Did you ask him to?"

Jade's eyes darted to the side and her head tilted down, a hand rising and disappearing behind her ear. "I might've suggested it," she mumbled.

An awkward moment of silence passed between them, and Tori asked the one question that was still burning in her mind. "You meant it, right?"

Jade's eyes snapped to hers, hard and calculating, like she was trying to figure out the possible outcomes of different scenarios. They finally softened and lit up. Tori's heart fluttered as she watched Jade come to a final decision. "Absolutely."

Every mine in the warzone that was Jade West hadn't been deactivated, but Jade had just handed Tori a map. And that was almost better, because Jade without some sort of defense system wasn't _really_ Jade. But she was inviting Tori in. She wanted Tori to cross, and was letting her do it safely.

Tori nodded. Took a deep breath. Nodded again. "Good," she whispered. Jade's eyes widened in surprise as Tori moved forward, and her lips tilted into a cautious smile as Tori's fingers slid between her own.

**A/N I don't think this is cliffhangery, but if it is, my sincerest apologies. I'll have the next one up sharpish.**

**Also, disclaimer, I didn't write that song. It is actually called 'Firefly' and it's by Ed Sheeran. I almost didn't want to use it, but it is what kickstarted the idea for this whole story almost two years ago, so it fits. I tried to write a song myself, but found out that I'm really bad at writing songs lol so you get Ed Sheeran instead, hope that's alright.**

**Also, also: You've put up with this massive story for long enough, and all I have to say is: NEXT CHAPTER. YOU HAVE ALL BEEN AWESOME THIS LONG AND IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME I REWARDED YOU FOR YOUR AWESOMESAUCENESS.**


	10. Chapter 10

**This is just SO much Jori. Literally nineteen pages of Jori, with like three sentences of Trina. Have fun!**

**ParkItCharlie: I hope that one of these chapters gets uploaded at a time when you CAN actually read it. I'm not doing that on purpose, I promise.**

**Disclaimer: Nope.**

* * *

><p>Tori's entire face scrunched up in adorable nervousness as she asked, "We're finally gonna talk about all of this?"<p>

"That's kind of why I'm standing here," Jade shrugged. "Unless you'd rather do something else, which I'm totally down for," she suggested with a sly smirk. She didn't really mean it. Well, she did, but not _really_. She was just trying to lighten the mood, make this whole 'confrontation' a little easier to deal with.

Tori rolled her eyes, but smiled, a bit of the tension easing out of her body. "Don't think you can avoid The Talk by distracting me with your," she gestured with her free hand, "feminine wiles."

"Seriously?" Jade snorted, giving Tori's hand a small squeeze to show she was only joking. "_I have had just about enough of you trying to corrupt me with your seductive charms. Have you no shame?_"

"I don't talk like that," Tori laughed and pulled her hand away. It didn't get very far before Jade reached out to reclaim it, and Tori couldn't help the sweet smile she sent the other girl. "So, how do you want to do this?"

Jade shrugged. Rubbed her thumb along the back of Tori's hand. "I guess, just, y'know, say your piece. Ask your questions. Whatever."

"So I have to do all the talking?"

Jade raised her eyebrows and shot Tori a serious look. "In case you missed it, I just said a lot of shit."

"I didn't miss anything," Tori said quickly. "But we can do this your way. Any restrictions on the questions I can ask?"

Honestly, there were a lot of things Jade didn't want Tori to ask. Not because she didn't want to talk about them, but because she wasn't sure if she could actually explain them. Her emotions had been a tangled ball of yarn lately and she had barely started to unravel it for herself. But she owed Tori at least an attempt at untangling them. Not out of obligation, but because it was Tori and Jade wanted her to understand. So she took a deep breath and shook her head. "No. No restrictions."

Tori squeezed her hand. "Why'd you stop answering my calls after you moved away?"

"Oh, you're just diving right in," Jade laughed bitterly. "You couldn't start with an easy one?" She let go of Tori's hand, and for a split second Tori looked panicked, like somehow she'd already fucked up, but Jade just pulled her bag over her head and eased down to sit on the floor. If they were going to hash out their entire history right then and there, she was at least going to get comfortable. Or, as comfortable as she could be in the janitor's closet. "I stopped talking to you because it hurt." Tori sat down next to her, their crossed knees just a hair's breadth away from touching. "Your family was always more of a family to me than my own. And after the divorce," she picked up a small brush from a dustpan and started turning it over in her hands, trying to distract herself from the memories that were flooding back, "it hurt to be around them. Because your family is so perfect, and mine is so broken, and I started to resent you for having them." Tori's face twisted in a mixture of pain and confusion, and she looked like she might interrupt, but Jade just plowed on. "Like, when I lived next door I could pretend that they were my family, too, and then I got older and couldn't pretend any more. And it didn't seem fair that you got to keep them while I got stuck with my mom and whoever her boyfriend of the week was. I just, I wanted to keep them. I wanted to keep _you_. But I couldn't. And it hurt."

At some point Jade had started pulling bristles out of the brush, and a small pile was forming next to her foot. Tori watched as a few more were added. "Do you remember when you told me? On Halloween?"

Jade nodded. "I sent you a paper plane."

"Yeah. And then I ran downstairs and begged my mom, Jade. I _begged_ her, and I cried, and I told her that I would give up every birthday and Christmas present for the rest of my life if you could live with us. Because I wanted to keep you, too. I would have given up everything if it could have helped. I still would."

Jade's heart did a strange flip in her chest and got lodged somewhere in her throat. She tried to clear it out, but it only resulted in a pricking behind her eyes, and then she rolled them to stop herself from crying. Jesus, they were only on the first question and she was already losing her shit. "Okay, next question," she said quickly.

Tori was quiet for a moment, and then when she did speak, her voice was high and falsely cheery. "So, you think of your parents fighting when you look at me?"

"I think of a lot of things when I look at you," Jade said with a smirk and Tori's eyebrows rose a bit in interest. "That's just the most upsetting one."

Tori's mouth opened and swiftly closed. She leaned slightly forward, and narrowed her eyes. "What other things do you think of?"

Jade's smirk became more pronounced and she arched a brow, giving Tori a very pointed look. "Ask me again if we survive this conversation."

"Duly noted," Tori murmured, settling back against the wall. A small smile curled up her lips and her fingers twitched across the bottom of her jeans. "So, is that the only reason you acted like you didn't know me? Because you were thinking of them and didn't want to deal?"

The smirk on Jade's face disappeared, replaced by a thoughtful look as she shook her head. "I can't explain why I did that. I just," her shoulders rose and dropped, her fingers went back to tearing up the brush, and her tongue rolled over words in her mouth, trying to find the right ones to use. "I think I was just shocked that you popped back up. And then all sorts of emotions that I hadn't felt in years came back. I had this knee-jerk reaction and then just kind of talked myself into keeping the act up. It seemed easier."

"Nothing's been easy about this," Tori chuckled.

"No, it hasn't," Jade agreed, a trace of laughter seeping into her voice. Tori shifted again, the sound of her jeans rubbing against themselves amplified in the otherwise quiet closet. Jade glanced up and then turned her attention to the pile next to her foot. She hadn't meant to decimate the brush. She hadn't meant to do anything, really. It was just something to distract herself. Talking seemed like it'd be easier if she wasn't focused on the actual talking.

"Okay." Tori's voice brought Jade out of her thoughts. "Next question. Why did you get Andre to ask me?"

Jade swallowed thickly and jerked a shoulder in an attempted shrug. "Wanted you to hear it."

"So why didn't you just tell me? That's what I don't get."

Jade rolled her eyes and yanked some more bristles out. She couldn't bring herself to actually look at Tori. It was all side glances and peripheral, like that somehow made it easier. Less invasive. Less personal. "I wasn't sure you'd listen. The other day, in here, you sounded so…" She meant to finish the sentence. She meant to apologize for being such a gank about everything. She didn't mean to feel the burn in her eyes telling her she was about to cry. "Fuck. I just ruin everything."

"Don't say that," Tori said softly.

Jade yanked an entire clump of bristles out. "I fuck everything up. I break things. You. Beck. My parents."

"Your parents aren't your fault, Jade." Tori's voice was stern. Serious.

Jade just shook her head. "I heard them say it all the time. They threw my name at each other like it was a knife. And once it lost its edge it was all 'your daughter' this and 'your child' that." She was quickly making the brush bald. There was a shuffling and then Tori's hands were pulling it away from Jade and replacing it with her own hands.

"Look at me. Jade. Look at me." Tori's fingers weaved between Jade's and squeezed. Jade slowly raised her eyes and Tori was watching her intently, those dark brown eyes laced with concern. No, Jade thought as her eyebrows dug together. It wasn't concern. It was comfort, like Tori didn't believe a word Jade had said and thought it was a ridiculous idea. With Tori looking at her like that, the shadow of a smile on the corner of her lips, Jade almost thought it was ridiculous, too. Tori was going to talk. She took a breath and her lips parted. She was going to say something. But Jade knew what it would be, because Tori's eyes were already saying it. And Jade didn't care for redundancy. She let go of Tori's hands and shifted until they were face to face, crossed knees touching lightly.

"Why do you look at me like that?" Jade asked quietly, her head tilting slightly in interest.

"Like what?"

"Like you believe in me. Like you're proud of me."

Tori broke into a smile so sweet and so silly that it twisted at Jade's insides. Painful, but not altogether unpleasant. "Because I do. I am," Tori said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You have all these rough edges, but you're not a bad person. Not by a long shot. And when I see the good in you come out, I just… ya know, feel proud of you for letting it show."

"It's confusing when you look at me like that," Jade murmured. "Because I don't do anything, but then you're smiling at me like I just cured cancer. Or gave birth to a unicorn or something."

Tori chuckled and rested her hands on Jade's knees. She leaned forward slightly, a conspiratorial glint in her eyes like she was letting Jade in on a big secret. "If you could see yourself the way I see you, you'd be proud, too."

There was a hitch in Jade's chest. Just a bump in her breathing before it continued on its way like nothing happened. But it was there, and Jade knew exactly what had caused it. Because sometimes Jade did see herself the way Tori did. They were brief glances, usually gone before she had a chance to revel in the feeling, but they were there. And they always made her feel like she could do anything. Be anything, just because Tori looked at her like she could. Tori saw magic in the world, in the way fireflies glowed and rainbows broke across the sky, and sometimes she saw magic in Jade, too. And it was being with Tori that made Jade believe in the magic of a hum that turned into a glow.

Jade licked her lips and Tori's eyes were drawn to the movement. "Next question," Jade whispered. She was aware of how close they were. Tori was _right there_, and if either of them moved forward, just a couple of inches, they'd be kissing. She could see in Tori's eyes that they were both torn over whether or not to close the distance.

Tori didn't move away. Her hands were still on Jade's knees, and she was definitely in Jade's personal space, but she didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by it. "What else do you think of when you look at me?"

"Are we done with the conversation?" Jade arched an eyebrow.

"Not even close," Tori answered.

"Then I'm not answering that yet." With more willpower than she knew she possessed, Jade gently pushed on Tori's shoulder, easing her back until she was sitting again.

Tori sighed dramatically and pouted. "Ruin all my fun."

Jade chuckled and ran a hand through her hair. "Things are pretty complicated between us, and I think we should clear the air before we go and," she gestured vaguely between them, searching for the right words, "re-complicate them."

"Would it be complicated?" It was an honest question, and Tori's eyebrows turned up in curiosity.

Jade shrugged, unsure of the answer herself. "I don't know. I think it might be, you know-"

"Too much too soon?" Tori offered.

"Yeah. Maybe."

"I can understand that. I mean, we haven't talked in years, and if we suddenly started, _you know_, it might be a little weird. And complicated." Tori folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the wall, a smug smile turning up her lips. "Although, you did kiss me the other day, so really, I think we've crossed that bridge already."

Jade rolled her eyes. "Please. That wasn't a kiss. If I kissed you, you'd know it."

Tori's eyebrow arched.

Jade raised hers as well.

They stared at each other for a moment, some unknown challenge arising between them. Tori nodded slightly. "Duly noted. Next question?"

"Shoot."

"When did you write that song?"

"That night," Jade said slowly, "after we went to the pier with Cat. When I left your house I went home and wrote it. Andre helped with the guitar parts."

The corners of Tori's lips twitched. An almost disbelieving look made her eyebrows rise. "So, you _really did_ write it for me?"

"No," Jade rolled her eyes, "I wrote it for Trina and was hoping you could pass along the message."

"Jade!" Tori lunged forward to punch Jade's arm, but Jade caught it and they got into a brief, slightly awkward wrestling match that resulted in Jade on top of Tori, one leg thrown over her hips while she pinned Tori's hands above her head.

A victorious smirk curled Jade's lips. "What's your next question, Vega?"

"That's easy," Tori breathed. "Can this conversation be done yet?"

Jade nodded and was just about to lean down, Tori's eyes widening slightly in anticipation, when the bell in the hallway outside rang. Both girls' heads whipped to the door and Jade released Tori with a grin. "Talk's over. And I am no longer under any contractual obligation to answer more questions."

Tori's mouth fell open as she watched Jade get to her feet. "Seriously?" Jade's grin grew wider as she picked up her bag and Tori pushed up to her elbows. "Jade, _seriously_?!"

"You better hurry up," Jade said coolly as she slung her bag over her shoulder, "you don't want to be late for class." And with a wink and an exaggerated sway of her hips, Jade left Tori on the floor of the janitor's closet.

Her heart was racing as she headed to class, and although it was lighter than it had been in weeks, her feet felt like they were made of lead. Every step was heavy and burdened, and she tried to force her lungs to work, because her breathing was labored. It had been _so easy_ to talk with Tori. To shamelessly fucking _flirt_ with Tori. And Jade had liked doing it. It wasn't a surprise, but it was still a little shocking, because holy shit did she like it. And if that stupid bell hadn't rung, Jade would be showing Tori just how much she liked it. But they'd already agreed. It would be too much, way too fast.

Overwhelmed wasn't a strong enough word for Jade's emotional state. They hadn't even kissed, barely even flirted… fuck it, barely even been _talking at all_ again, and they'd fallen back into a habit they'd broken over six years ago. It was too easy to be with Tori, and that terrified Jade. Because if it was so easy to just be with her, to talk and joke and flirt, then how easy would it be to fall, completely and undeniably?

She loved Tori, she knew that. But she was still trying to define the boundaries of that love. Still trying to figure out exactly how it had grown and what it meant to her now. What Tori meant to her now. She knew she wanted Tori back in her life, and considering how close they'd come to kissing yet _again_, she had a good idea about how she wanted Tori, but it was still a lot to take in. She'd kind of given up on trying to label Tori, because the girl seemed to defy definition, but Jade suddenly had an overwhelming _need_ to define her.

She didn't pay even the slightest bit of attention during math class.

She was so distracted by _Tori_, that when some freshman bumped into her on her way to fourth period, she didn't yell at him. She didn't even growl. Just stomped off without so much as a glance back.

When lunch rolled around, Jade was the first one to the table. Cat sat down soon after her, and then Tori plopped down right next to Jade. So close that their elbows bumped whenever Tori reached for one of her fries. Everyone else joined them soon enough, and the conversation carried on the way it usually did. A giddy sort of grin was plastered on Andre's face as he kept glancing back and forth between the two girls across from him, and it only faded when Jade threatened to remove his dangley bits with her _special_ scissors.

Lunch was almost over and everyone started to leave, but Jade's hand on Tori's thigh kept her in her seat. If the look on Tori's face was anything to go by, she was scared to even breathe at that moment, because Jade's hand was rather… _high_ on Tori's leg. Jade smirked at the obvious effect it was having and tilted her head. She could really get used to teasing Vega, and that was kind of a problem. Because Tori wasn't the only one being affected by the current position of Jade's fingers. She gave Tori's thigh a quick squeeze before pulling her hand away. "That paper for screenwriting is due by the end of the week."

Tori visibly relaxed and nodded. "Yeah. I was going over it the other day and added some stuff onto your draft."

"My draft was perfect." Jade cocked a brow.

Tori's smile grew into a bit of a smirk. "Well I made it better."

Jade's eyes narrowed as her jaw clenched. "I highly doubt that, since you thought that _Alfredo _Hitchcock directed Psycho. The man is a master of suspense, not a fucking cheese sauce."

"It was a typo," Tori playfully whined, rolling her eyes. "But you totally missed the chance to expand on the similarities between the genres when it comes to set-ups and the importance of camera placement and angle in relation to the focal point of the scene."

Jade was struck speechless for the first time, like, _ever_, and Tori just smiled smugly as she got up from her seat. "See? _Better_." Tori playfully bopped the tip of Jade's nose, and all Jade could do was snap at the air in front of her, hoping to bite Vega's finger. It was a stupid, and immature, reaction, but she really couldn't believe that Tori had picked up on that point when she'd missed it herself.

"You better hurry up," Tori said right as the warning bell rang, "you don't want to be late for class."

"I'm coming over after school to make sure you didn't butcher my paper!" Jade yelled at her retreating form.

Tori just threw a hand in the air as she headed inside. "Okay, Jade!"

Jade huffed as she grabbed her bag and stood up. Yeah, she _definitely_ had to define Tori fucking Vega. And soon.

Tori was still looking smug as Jade took her new normal seat next to her in screenwriting. "What?" Jade grumbled as she dug her notebook out from her bag. Tori didn't answer, but a piece of paper was carefully slid onto her desk. Jade stared down at what was clearly supposed to be a cartoon of Alfred Hitchcock, dressed up as a chef, holding a big plate of what looked like some kind of pasta. She fought back a smile and settled on what she hoped was a convincing look of boredom, instead. "Another doodle?" she asked Tori.

"Mmhmm." Tori shrugged and leaned her elbow on the edge of her desk, resting her chin in her palm. "I got bored in theater history."

"You're gonna fail that class if you don't start paying attention."

Tori grinned and turned towards the front of the class as their teacher started taking attendance. But Jade wasn't paying much attention. She slipped the paper into her bag, carefully, still fighting the smile tugging at her lips.

At the end of the day, Jade couldn't wait to talk to Tori. Not out of like, an actual desire to see the girl, really, but more out of a necessity to un-complicate their situation as quickly as possible. The faster they sorted their shit out, the faster they could define whatever their relationship would be now. So Jade was determined, and therefore probably a little more aggressive than she should have been, as she marched up to Tori at her locker and positively screeched, "Arm!"

Tori, instinctively, shoved her arm at Jade, who grabbed it by the wrist and dragged her out to the parking lot. "Jeeze Louise, Jade, what's the rush?"

"We're gonna finish our talk," Jade answered harshly. "Figure all this shit out because I need it over and done with already. So we're sorting through everything."

"Everything?" Tori asked as Jade finally released her to unlock the car.

"_Everything_," Jade reiterated. She marched around the car to her door, then froze when she noticed Tori still hadn't gotten in. The girl was just staring at her with a huge, dopey grin on her face. "What?"

"Nothing."

The grin widened and Jade threw her head back with an exasperated sigh. "Jesus, Vega, _what _is that look for?"

Tori shook her head and opened the door. "I'm just glad you're… ya know…" she climbed in the car without elaborating further and Jade rolled her eyes.

"No, I don't know, so spill," Jade grumbled as she got in the car and pulled her door shut. She started the car and began to back out of her parking space.

"I'm just glad that you're agreeing to talk about it at all," Tori admitted as she sent a text to let Trina know she was getting a ride home. "That you're initiating the talking, for once."

Jade rolled her eyes. Really? That was what had Tori so over-the-moon? "I'll initiate my scissors into your cheeks if you don't stop looking at me like that." That wiped the grin off her face and Jade smirked at the horrified look that replaced it.

"Jade! That's so graphic!"

"What?" Jade shrugged. "I watch a lot of violent movies."

"Yeah, but," Tori rubbed her cheek nervously like she was actually worried Jade would attack her, "still."

Jade rolled her eyes as they pulled out of the parking lot. "Chill, Vega. I wouldn't actually mutilate your face. I kinda like it too much." The smile she got in response to that comment was so sickeningly sweet, that Jade couldn't help but add, "From certain angles. In the right light."

Tori rolled her eyes and instead of answering, just turned the radio on. They drove in a comfortable silence, occasionally getting into small fights over the music, but Tori didn't even seem bothered when Jade turned down her street, like it was totally normal behavior for Jade to just invite herself over like that. It was reassuring. Because when they were kids, Jade never asked. She'd just go over whenever she felt like it. There were never invitations. Just Jade going to hang out at her best friend's house. It's just what they did, and Jade was kind of glad that she could still do that. It had been a long time, and she smiled when she realized that maybe it was okay for her to still do that. To escape to Tori's when she needed to.

That thought was immediately squashed when Jade remembered how suffocating Tori's room had been the last time she was there. Maybe it was just the circumstances, maybe it was just a fluke, but it hadn't felt like her safe haven anymore.

Jade looked at her old house as she followed Tori up her driveway, and she barely even noticed the pang in her chest. That was progress. Jade closed the front door behind them and trailed after Tori up to her room. Tori didn't react at all, like she was expecting Jade to do just that. That was also progress. Tori eased her bedroom door shut once Jade was inside, and Jade sat down in the same desk chair she had last time. Tori shot her a smile and lied down on her bed, opening her laptop. Okay, slight déjà vu, but it wasn't anything that Jade couldn't handle.

"So," Tori drawled, bending her knees so her feet were up in the air, "how do you wanna do this? Paper first? Talk first? Or are we just doing the Q and A thing again, like before?"

"Do you have any more Qs for me to A?" Jade asked, idly spinning in the chair.

Tori pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, mulling it over, before shaking her head. "Nothing urgent, I guess? I just…" she sighed with a small shrug, "Like I said, I'm just glad that you're finally talking to me. Like _really_ talking."

"Then let's finish the damn paper so at least one thing is out of the way."

"Kay kay," Tori chirped, in a frighteningly similar way to Cat. Jade shook her head and started digging through her bag for her screenwriting notebook. "Can you grab mine, too? I wrote something I thought was interesting in class." Tori pointed to her bag on the floor and Jade just stared at her. Seriously? Vega wanted her to fetch like some dog? Tori broke out in a ridiculous smile. "Please?" Jade rolled her eyes and Tori just said "Thank you," like she fucking _knew_ Jade would cave and get her notes for her.

Jade hated that she fucking caved and got her notes for her. She was grumbling internally as she dug through Tori's bag, surprised at how disorganized it was. There were a couple of empty water bottles, a half-eaten turkey hoagie, various make-up essentials, and more than a few battered notebooks. No wonder Vega always had such a huge bag on her shoulder. She just carried so much _shit _around. It was ridiculous, and Jade was about to tell her that, when she picked up one of the notebooks. She flipped it open to a random page to see if it was for screenwriting, since apparently Tori didn't believe in labeling things, which didn't surprise Jade at all, but a doodle in the margin stopped any further thought about anything. Because the doodle was of Jade.

It was a quick little sketch, still better than anything Jade could've done, but it was there. Curious, Jade flipped through a couple more pages. Slowly, a pattern started to emerge. The actual notes in Tori's notebook dwindled, gradually replaced with more and more drawings of Jade. Bigger drawings. _Better_ drawings. There was one, that took up a full page, of Jade sitting on a stool in the Black Box. Tori had drawn Jade's performance. A strange pressure grew in Jade's chest as she continued looking through the notebook. Tori had filled up more than half of it with drawings of Jade. Her eyes. Her hands. Her hair. Her face. Even her fucking combat boots. Tori had literally drawn every inch of Jade at least twice.

"It's the blue notebook," Tori said absently, still staring at her laptop, like the reason Jade was taking so long was because she didn't know which notebook she was supposed to be getting.

Jade's head snapped to the side, her eyes narrowing dangerously. She pushed off the floor, the notebook clutched in her hand, and approached the bed. "Tori," Jade said slowly, flipping back to the full page drawing of herself.

"Yeah?" Tori turned her head, but didn't look away from the screen.

"Tori," Jade repeated carefully, turning the notebook over so Tori would be able to see. "What the fuck is this?"

Tori's eyebrows dug together as she finally looked away from the laptop, and then they flew up her forehead and she was scrambling off the bed, trying to snatch the notebook away. Jade shoved a hand into Tori's chest and held the notebook high above her head, keeping it just out of Tori's reach. "Jade! Give it back!"

"Hell no!"

They got into a brief scuffle, where Tori literally shoved and pushed and clawed at Jade, trying to get to the notebook. And if Jade wasn't so monumentally wazzed off, she would've been impressed at the fight Tori was putting up. But as it was, Jade's rage got the best of her, and she ended up winning. Tori was exhausted, gasping for breath, and her wild snatches at the notebook had turned into half-hearted grasps at thin air.

"Are you finished yet?" Jade questioned, not even trying to hide the exasperation in her voice.

Tori made one final, rather pathetic, attempt at reclaiming her notebook before collapsing in defeat on her bed. "Yes."

"So, I'll ask again." Jade tossed the notebook onto Tori's lap. "What the fuck is this?"

Tori blinked rapidly and looked away from the drawing, shrugging. "Doodles," she mumbled. "They're no big deal."

"No big deal?" Jade repeated in shock. "No big deal?! Tori!" Jade picked the notebook up and shoved it in Tori's face, forcing her to look at the picture. "This is a huge deal!"

Tori averted her eyes, fighting back tears, and tried to push the notebook away. "It's really not."

"Yes, it is!" Jade flung the notebook onto the bed and threw her hands in the air. "Vega, you go to a fucking _arts_ school and aren't taking _any _sort of drawing class? What the fuck is _wrong_ with you!"

"I transferred mid-semester and they were all full and- wait," Tori snapped to attention and stared at Jade, confusion written all over her face. "You're… you're not _mad_?"

"Of course I'm mad! I'm fucking pissed as hell! Do you know how many kids at school would literally _kill_ _their own parents_ to be able to draw like you? And you just call them fucking _doodles_? I mean, I knew you were good, but I didn't realize you were _that_ good." Jade pointed to the notebook for emphasis.

Tori didn't seem to hear a word Jade was saying, though. She just got that stupid, dopey grin again and stood up, taking Jade's hands in her own. "I thought you were upset that I'd drawn you so much. I thought it freaked you out."

"Freaked me out?" Jade rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Please, you made me look beautiful."

"I think hitting the genetic lottery did that," Tori chuckled, slipping her fingers between Jade's, "but thank you. And you are, you know. Beautiful."

Jade could only blink in response as Tori squeezed her hands. Sure, she knew she was hot. She had that whole dark and dangerous thing going for her. But beautiful? No one had ever told her that before. Probably because they were too scared of how she'd react. Under any other circumstances, Jade probably would've whipped out some scissors and shown whoever just how 'beautiful' she could be. But it was Tori. And she seemed to be the exception to everything. Because when Tori was smiling at Jade like nothing else in the world existed except for her, Jade believed it. She would've believed anything Tori said if she was looking at her the way she was just then.

The peace between them was shattered by loud noises coming from downstairs. With a groan, Tori pulled away from Jade, letting her head drop back. Jade gave Tori's hands a quick squeeze, and stepped away. "Sounds like Trina finally made it home," Tori grumbled, moving to sit down at her desk.

"Your damn sister always had terrible timing," Jade complained, running a hand through her hair. They had been _so close_. _Again_.

"Like that time she hit you with the bathroom door and knocked one of your teeth out?" Tori recalled with a laugh.

Jade snorted and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Hey, it was worth sacrificing a baby tooth to have her grounded for a month."

Both girls rolled their eyes as the loud noises continued, joined by Trina talking very loudly to herself. It was obvious that Trina was announcing her arrival, giving them warning that she was there and they should knock off any inappropriate behavior. Not that things had escalated much, or at all, Jade thought with a sigh as she leaned back against the headboard and crossed her legs. "Guess we get to work on this paper, now," Tori said with a small smile in Jade's direction.

"Oh, joy," Jade grumbled at the prospect of actually doing school work, but also at the very loud footsteps coming up the stairs, accompanied by Trina narrating her movements.

Tori rolled her eyes and Jade scowled as the older Vega came closer.

"I guess I'll just walk down the hallway. Toward the _bathroom_," Trina emphasized, "which is directly across from my little sister's open bedroom door." There was a pause and both girls could only imagine the look on Trina's face as she said, "Which I will definitely _NOT _be looking at."

Jade shot Tori a questioning glance and Tori just shrugged in reply, both of them looking at the door as Trina slowly walked past, one hand covering her eyes as the other ran along the wall to guide her. "Trina," Tori sighed. Trina stopped, her head turning slightly. "It's okay, we're not doing anything."

Trina's fingers parted slightly, allowing her just enough space to see into Tori's room. She heaved a huge, grateful sigh and dropped both her hands to her side. "Oh, thank god. I was worried I'd hear something and be traumatized."

"Maybe later, once we've finished our homework," Jade smiled maliciously, only to jerk to the side as a pen collided with her shoulder. "Hey!"

"Can you please not say stuff like that to my _sister_?" Tori demanded. Jade shrugged and Trina shuddered, but Tori ignored them both and sighed. "Are mom and dad home, too?"

"No," Trina scoffed. "It's like four in the afternoon."

Trina rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, going into a long and detailed account of how ridiculous that question was, and Jade just kind of wanted to throw herself out of the window as the older Vega rambled on and on. Tori mustered up the sweetest, most condescending smile she could, as she stood up and slowly closed the door in Trina's face.

"Thank god it stopped talking," Jade muttered, bending over to grab Tori's bag off the floor. "So the blue notebook is the one that _isn't_ filled with your creepy, stalkerish drawings of me, right?"

Tori rolled her eyes but nodded. "Yeah. And you can't insult them after telling me they're _so good_."

"Yes, I can." Jade rifled through Tori's bag. "Just because they're _good_ drawings, doesn't make them any less creepy." She pulled out the blue notebook and threw it at Tori. "Or stalkery. But at least you chose a beautiful subject to obsess over."

"And she's so modest, too," Tori agreed with a smirk.

Jade chuckled lightly, getting her own notes out. "Really, you couldn't have picked anyone better."

"I've created a monster," Tori sighed. "Much like Frankenstein. Which reminds me of," she pointed to her laptop with a grin, "our paper!"

"Yeah, yeah." Jade held her arms out. "Lemme read the trash you claim is better than my brilliant, graduate-level analysis."

"So modest," Tori mumbled. She stood up and handed her laptop over to a smug Jade, before sitting next to her on the bed.

Jade stared at the screen for a minute and then shoved it onto Tori's lap. "Read it."

"Read it?" Tori blinked. "But I wrote it. I know what it says."

"No," Jade rolled her eyes. "Read it _to me_." Tori cocked a brow at her but Jade just shrugged. "What? My eyes are tired from looking at your hideous mug for this long."

Tori gasped. "You like looking at my hideous mug!"

"That doesn't make it any less exhausting of a task. Now read." Jade settled back against Tori's headboard, and when it became obvious that she really had no intention of reading the paper herself, Tori sighed and started to read it aloud.

She paused partway through to grab her glasses, and then started again. She only managed to read another paragraph, though, because Jade was thoroughly distracted. Tori in glasses was… really, very attractive. And hot. Really, very, extremely hot. And Jade couldn't help it if _maybe_ she got a little handsy and _maybe_ nuzzled Tori's neck a little bit.

"Jade," Tori breathed.

"Hmm?"

Tori tried to say Jade's name again, but she barely got it out because Jade chose that exact moment to press a soft kiss against Tori's neck and Tori melted as a moan escaped her. "Stop it," she murmured.

Jade pulled back. Just a little. "You wanna finish this paper that bad?"

"I…" Tori gulped. Licked her lips and took a moment to compose herself. "We _need_ to finish this paper and if you don't stop what you're doing, there's only one thing we're going to end up doing."

"It's not due until Friday," Jade pointed out. "We can finish it any other day this week."

Tori shook her head slightly. "We're gonna be busy every other day this week." Jade's eyebrow rose in interest as a wicked glint shone in her eyes. "We're gonna be busy because we're gonna be talking. A lot."

Wait, what? That was totally not what Jade was hoping they'd be busy doing. "What?"

Tori cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter, clearly determined to keep the rest of their afternoon strictly 'professional'. "If you want to do _this_," Tori carefully placed her hand on top of Jade's, which had found its way dangerously close to the inside of Tori's thigh, "then you have to do this." She took Jade's hand and moved it to the small space that was between their bodies. "It's been a long time, and as much as I kind of want to let you finish what you were doing, I would be more comfortable if we talked a bit more before taking things any further," Tori continued. "I meant what I said in the janitor's closet. It's a lot, and very fast, and I want us to really get to know each other again."

It made sense, and Jade really should have seen it coming, but it didn't mean that she liked the idea any more. It seemed stupid, when she thought about it, because Tori was asking her to follow a 'traditional' timeline, when they weren't a 'traditional' couple. If they even were a couple. That was still one of the things they had to talk about. But she didn't want to fuck things up with Tori, and if Tori wanted to pretend like they had _just_ met and flirted a little bit and decided that maybe they wanted to get to know each other better, then that's what she'd do. "Fine," Jade huffed. "You can take me on a date. But you're paying."

Tori mulled it over for a minute and nodded. "I guess I _did_ ask, sort of, so okay. I'll pay. Where do you wanna go?"

A horrified look took over Jade's features. "How 'bout a little romance here, Vega? You wanna go on a date? Fine. Plan a date to take me on."

Tori grew silent, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, and Jade just watched as Tori thought it over. Was she seriously planning the date right then and there? Jade rolled her eyes and settled back against a pillow, waiting for Tori to finish whatever train her thoughts were on.

It seemed like hours had passed before Tori finally grinned and turned to Jade. "I've got it!"

"Awesome. So what will we be doing?"

"Uh-uh," Tori shook her head. "How 'bout a little romance here, _West_?"

"Oh, that sounds so wrong," Jade grimaced.

Tori chuckled and turned her attention back to their paper. "You'll find out what it is on Friday."

"Friday?!" Jade screeched. "I have to wait until _Friday_?"

"What's happening Friday?" A voice in the hall asked.

"Go away, Trina!" Both girls shouted at the door before turning to look at each other.

"What's wrong with Friday?" Tori asked. "Friday is a good night for a date."

"It's also very, very far away," Jade said bluntly. "Can't we like," she motioned with her hands, "expedite the process of getting to know each other?"

For some reason, Tori thought it would be a good idea to laugh at that. Jade was not amused. "You're seriously that worked up?"

Jade glared at her. Hard. "I am _not_," her eyebrow arched dangerously, "_worked up_."

Tori stifled a laugh and adjusted her laptop. "Okay, Jade."

"I'm not."

"Okay, Jade."

Jade huffed and folded her arms across her chest. She wasn't worked up. She was just… a little turned on? No, that wasn't right. Not really. It was just that she wanted to kiss Tori. Like, _really_ fucking wanted it. And Tori had certainly seemed into it, as well, if that little moan was anything to go by. So Jade didn't quite understand why they couldn't just do something that they both clearly wanted to do.

Tori pressed a soft, lingering kiss on her cheek, and Jade's head turned towards her in response. "I'm not saying 'hands off' forever," Tori said quietly, "but I don't want us to rush into anything. Let's just talk, go on a date, and see what happens. Okay, Jade?"

That offer was better than the rather bleak reality she had been facing moments before. "I think," Jade responded after a minute, "that however slow we take this, whatever _this _even is, it's never gonna be slow enough. You are _always_ going to hit me like a giant asteroid knocking the planet off its axis."

Tori's smile was the most genuine and innocent Jade had ever seen. She leaned over and rested her forehead against Jade's. "And you are always going to feel like my world's finally righted itself."

"Just," Jade's lips brushed gently against Tori's, "be patient if I push you too far. Knock me on my ass, by all means, but help me get back up."

"I think you're overestimating my self-control." Tori's lips tilted in a smirk that sent a shiver down Jade's spine, and her hand cupped Jade's face, her thumb gently caressing her jaw. "'Cause I just might join you on the ground."

Jade growled. Actually fucking growled, and she couldn't believe that it made Tori's smirk split into a grin. Tori as a person wasn't anything new, but this… flirtatious aspect of her definitely was. And it was stirring something primal in Jade. They were still _so close_ and Jade took a shaky breath. "What happened to you?" She murmured. She ran her fingers through Tori's hair and wondered if she would melt at her touch _every_ time she did that, because… damn.

Tori sighed and answered simply. Honestly. "I grew up."

Jade's fingers were tracing her jaw. Jade's thumb brushed across her lower lip. It's like she was trying to make sure that she was real, because Jade was having a hard time reconciling the Tori she used to know with the girl currently driving her crazy. She surprised herself when she asked, "What are we? To each other?"

"Friends?" Tori whispered, turning her head to press a soft kiss to Jade's palm. "More than friends?" She kissed the inside of her wrist. "You've always been _more _to me."

And suddenly Jade didn't care about anything being 'too much, too fast'. She didn't care about un-complicating things before making them even more complicated. She didn't need to define Tori anymore, because she realized that Tori had always been defined. She was _Tori_. Jade's Tori. She was the one who knew Jade better than anyone else, even after years of not speaking. She knew exactly when to push and when to wait to get Jade to open up. She was the only real safe haven Jade ever had. She was the first friend Jade ever had. She was the best friend Jade ever had. And Jade would be damned if Tori was ever going to be anything other than _hers _ever again.

And as much as Jade wanted to just kick Tori's laptop off the bed and see exactly where_ this_ could go, she really didn't want to fuck _this_ up, and Tori had said to take it slow. "Okay," Jade said softly, "time to finish our paper."

"Oh, Jade," Tori batted her lashes, "I love it when you talk dirty."

Jade choked back a laugh and shook her head. "I'm being serious."

Tori straightened up as they _finally_ put some actual space between them. "Fine. Do I still have to read to you?"

"Yes." Jade averted her gaze, leaning back against a pillow. Tori pulled the laptop closer and leaned against her with a grin. Jade's arm hovered over the body snuggled into her side. "What are you doing?"

Tori looked up at her with a playful indignation. "Oh, so you can try to seduce me, and make me read to you, but I can't get some cuddles?"

"I didn't try to _seduce_ you," Jade argued, knowing full well that wasn't entirely true, "and when have I ever been one for cuddles?" Tori rolled her eyes, a small pout forming on her lips, and moved to straighten up. Jade immediately dropped her arm around Tori's shoulders as a small spike of panic shot through her. She wasn't sure where it came from, but she knew that she didn't want Tori to move away from her. Feeling Tori pressed into her side was… oddly reassuring. A reminder that she really was there. And Jade didn't want her to leave, even if it was only a few inches away. "Just read the damn paper to me."

Tori didn't even try to hide her smile as her head settled on Jade's shoulder. Jade was just glad that Tori couldn't see her matching one.

Jade made small adjustments as Tori read through the paper. Well, she dictated and Tori typed. When they reached the end, Jade gave a curt nod and pointed to the screen. "Print that baby so we can turn it in early."

Tori's head snapped to the side as her wide eyes stared at Jade. "What?"

Jade blinked, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "Print the paper so we can turn it in early? Cross it off our list of shit to get through?"

"Oh," Tori muttered, quickly looking back at the laptop.

Jade's brow furrowed as she noticed the blush creeping up Tori's cheeks. "What did you think I said?"

Tori just shook her head and clicked around the screen. "Nothing," she said way too quickly.

"No," Jade poked Tori's ribs. "What did you think I said?"

Tori moved away, breaking free of Jade's arm. "Nothing. It's nothing. Forget about it."

Oh, that was the wrong thing to say. That just made Jade want to know even more. "Tell me."

Tori shook her head again, hit 'Print', and continued to inch away from her. A smirk tugged at Jade's lips. She waited, patiently, for Tori to save the document and close out of it. And then she pounced.

Tori's laptop flew off the bed. She squeaked and tried to squirm free. "Tell me," Jade demanded again, throwing a leg over Tori's hips, pinning her down flat on her back. She raised two fingers on each hand and arched an eyebrow. "Tell me, or you get the Tickle Bunny Twins."

"No!" Tori gasped, eyes tripling in size. "You wouldn't _dare_. My dad hasn't even done the Tickle Bunny Twins in eight years, Jade."

"Oh, well I think after eight years we should bring them back." Jade's hands lowered, like, and inch, and Tori started wriggling.

"Okay! Okay! I give up!"

"I didn't even touch you," Jade dropped her hands and sighed. "So what did you think I said?"

"It's stupid," Tori averted her gaze. The second Jade moved her hands though, Tori was holding her own up in surrender. "Okay, fine. I thought that, y'know, you…" Her sentence trailed off in a mumble and Jade rolled her eyes.

"Repeat it so I can _actually_ hear."

"I thought," Tori huffed, "that when you said 'print that baby', you were calling _me_ 'baby'. Not the paper."

Jade's head tilted. Her eyes narrowed slightly. She looked at Tori, whose blush deepened. Jade studied the girl underneath her for a moment. Did… did she _want_ Jade to call her that?

"I told you it was stupid."

The bedroom door flew open and Trina stood in the doorway, her eyes fixed on the Pearphone in her hand. "Mom's picking up dinner and wants to know- Holy chizz in a basket WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER?!" The phone fell to the floor as Trina slammed both hands over her eyes.

Jade rolled her eyes and climbed off Tori, who was sporting an atomic blush. "We're fully clothed, you suckfish. Calm down."

Trina shook her head and knelt down, one hand covering her eyes while the other one groped the floor for her phone. "I _so_ didn't need to see you violating my baby sister."

"Violating?" Tori squeaked.

Great. Now both Vegas were shielding their faces. Jade rolled her eyes so hard they almost fell right out of her head. "If you two are done over-reacting…" She grabbed her notes and shoved them into her bag. "I'm gonna head out before the entire clan shows up and starts blindly fumbling around." The truth was Jade kind of needed some space. Because she wasn't sure how slow she could go if Tori was _right there. _It just felt so fucking right, and that was kind of terrifying. Because nothing about their situation had been easy, but Tori was… being with Tori was the easiest thing Jade knew. And Jade knew that things that came together so easily, fell apart just as effortlessly.

"Oh god," Tori groaned from the bed.

"Oh god," Trina mumbled from the door.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Jade growled from the middle of the room. She pushed past Trina, accidentally-on-purpose knocking her over, and headed for the stairs. Trina said something, but Jade was too far gone to hear. Footsteps followed her downstairs and Tori caught her by the door.

"You're not gonna stay for dinner?" Tori's fingers caught Jade's wrist, drawing her to a stop.

"As fun as dinner with the Vega Crew sounds," Jade sighed, adjusting the strap of her bag, "I don't think I'm quite _there_ yet."

"Yeah." Tori pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded. "Yeah. I get that."

"Do you?" Her voice was genuinely curious and Tori just nodded quickly.

"Yeah. I mean, _we're_ barely there. So I get that it still might be too much. Seeing them again."

A contemplative look settled over Jade's features as she studied Tori. That… was it exactly. And Tori really did get it. Get Jade. She understood, and Jade wasn't even the least bit surprised by that.

A hesitant smile curled Tori's lips. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Jade nodded curtly. And then she shot Tori a mischievous smirk. "And don't forget the paper, _baby_."

Tori's whining "I knew it was stupid," followed her out the door.

Jade drove home, her lips twitching between a smile and a frown the entire way. She didn't know what kind of dance she and Tori were doing, just that they kept awkwardly bumping into each other only to step back and start circling each other again. Sometimes, it felt like Jade knew the dance and was doing alright. And then other times it was like she had two left feet and was just stumbling around, trying not to step on Tori's toes. It seemed the same with Tori, though. Sometimes she would seem just as confused as Jade was. But then there were the moments, where she would just say "Okay, Jade," like she knew a secret and was waiting for Jade to figure it out as well. Maybe Tori was just as uncertain and nervous as she was. If they were both on the same page, if they were both a little lost in the new dynamic between them, then that was okay. Maybe they could just figure out the steps to the dance, together.

As Jade pulled up in front of her house, her lips finally settled. And she smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: When I had originally plotted out this story, <strong>_**this**_** was supposed to be the final chapter. But stories sometimes get a mind of their own, and apparently this one slapped me in the face when I tried to end it. So, let the awkward-courting continue, because we are officially into the romance part. Here's hoping I don't screw it up too bad. **

**Thank you for the reviews and favorites and stuff, and if you've got time I'd love to hear what you thought, good or bad :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: If I owned Victorious there would have been a glorious, Jori-centric spinoff by now. So, obviously, I don't own it.**

"I can't believe you let Jade freakin' West, of all people, top you. I mean, that girl is _totally_ a top, so I'm not really surprised, but I kinda hoped that you'd have enough pride to at least put up a fight over it."

"For the last time, Trina," Tori yelled into the hands covering her face, "we weren't _doing_ anything!"

"Uh-huh. Sure." Clearly Trina didn't believe her sister, and Tori could only groan as she sank into her seat, finally lowering her hands as they pulled into the school parking lot.

"Just," Tori fidgeted with her seatbelt, "_please_ don't say anything about it? We're still trying to figure stuff out and I don't think she wants anyone to know."

Trina scoffed as she parked the car. "Seriously? No one's figured it out with the way you guys stare at each other?"

"We do not stare," Tori protested. Trina's head whipped to the side and she gave her sister a very pointed look. "It's not _staring_ so much as it's, y'know… _looking_. Occasionally glancing, perhaps."

"Keep telling yourself that." Trina shook her head and got out of the car, Tori following a moment later. "But, speaking from experience, keeping things a secret doesn't really ever end well."

"Speaking from experience?" Tori repeated as she followed her older sister across the parking lot. "What experience is that?"

"Do you remember that cute pizza delivery boy?"

"The one from Giuseppe's?" Trina gave her a sly smile and Tori held back a laugh. "Giuseppe's that we had to stop ordering from because the delivery boy took out a restraining order on you?"

Trina huffed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "It was _not_ a restraining order."

"Really? Because Dad had to go to court and-"

"It wasn't a restraining order, Tori!" Trina snapped, stomping away into the school.

"Thanks for the advice, sis!" Tori called out, even though Trina completely ignored her. Tori shook her head and chuckled to herself, pushing through the doors.

She had barely made it down the hallway when an arm draped over her shoulder. "So…?" Andre greeted, a huge grin plastered on his face.

Tori smiled right back as she turned the combination on her locker. "So…?"

"Come on, don't leave me hangin'!" Andre removed his arm and leaned against the locker next to Tori's. "What happened with Jade? I saw y'all at lunch yesterday. Did you guys…" He made a strange gesture with his hands and Tori laughed.

"We talked a bit yesterday," Tori answered slyly, opening her locker.

"Yeah? And?"

"And it was nice?" Tori offered.

"Nice?" Andre said in disbelief before breaking into a grin. "Come on, you can tell me." He pointed his thumbs at himself and shook his hips. "The Love Doctor did good, right?"

"Eww," Tori laughed and shoved his shoulder. "Don't ever call yourself that."

Andre chuckled and straightened up. "But y'all are cool, right?"

"Yeah," Tori took some books out and shoved them into her bag. "It's complicated, but I think we're cool."

Andre's brow furrowed. "Complicated?"

Tori closed her locker with a sigh. "Yeah. I can't really talk about it?" She gave him an apologetic sort of grimace.

Andre nodded and threw his arm around her shoulder again. "Okay. But I'm here for you when you can."

"Thanks." Tori shot him a sweet smile. "Hey, how 'bout your song? Have you done it yet?"

Andre shook his head as they headed off towards Sikowitz's class. "Nah, I'm up today. But it'll be cool. My teacher already told me I got an A."

"Really? But you haven't even performed yet."

Andre pinched his shirt between two fingers and popped the fabric with a chuckle. "I'm just that good, baby."

"Shut up." Tori laughed and shoved him away.

They were still laughing when they walked into Sikowitz's, and Andre clapped Tori on the shoulder, shooting a glance at the back of Jade's head while mouthing 'Good luck'. Tori gave him a smile as he headed off towards his usual seat.

"Hey, Jade," Tori greeted with a small wave.

Jade glanced up from the notebook in her hand and nodded, looking back immediately.

And Tori erupted into a ball of nerves. Was that not okay? Was she not supposed to acknowledge their… whatever-it-was in school? Were they actually a _secret_? She suddenly wished that they had actually done more talking, like _actual_ talking yesterday. "Um," she chuckled nervously and pointed to the empty chair next to Jade, "is anyone sitting here?"

Jade looked at the empty chair. Then to Tori. Then back to the chair. Then back to Tori. She quirked an eyebrow, as if to say, 'Really?' and Tori felt her heart drop. Maybe they weren't cool, after all. Tori had thought that Jade's teasing right before she left had just been, y'know, flirty. But maybe she had misunderstood. Maybe she'd totally misread the signs?

Jade rolled her eyes and pulled the chair a little closer to her own. A little further from Tori. Tori's shoulders sagged. She had totally misread the signs. "Sit down already," Jade turned the page in her notebook, "your hovering is annoying."

Tori beamed. Neither of them said anything, but Tori didn't really feel the need to. Because the corner of Jade's mouth was twitching with the effort of holding back her own smile.

Cat took the seat directly in front of Jade, and Beck sat next to Andre. Sikowitz waltzed in through the _other _door that hardly ever got used and the class settled down as he stepped up onto the stage.

"So, how many of you were actually paying attention during yesterday's lesson on Plutchik's wheel?" A few students raised their hands, including Tori, and Sikowitz winked at the class. "We'll see how true that is. I want you all to break into groups," Tori glanced at Jade, who just cocked a brow without meeting her gaze, "and pick two neighboring aspects on the wheel. You'll have all week to write a short scene, using those emotions and hopefully incorporating the way they relate to each other, and then perform your scene Friday in front of the class." His assignment was met with silence and he threw his hands up. "Go! Pair up! Make theatrical magic!"

The class was a flurry of activity as chairs were pushed out of the way and students hurried to find their friends. Tori turned a bit in her seat and faced Jade. "Um, do you wanna," she gestured between them, leaving her question hanging in the air.

"Which emotions would you want to do?" Jade asked.

Tori's brain kicked into overdrive, trying to actually remember the lesson from the previous day. She could see the flower shaped chart in her mind, and she said the first emotion she thought of. "Uh… rage and…" Jade's eyebrow arched high as Tori tried to remember what was next to it on the wheel, "loathing?"

"Seriously?" Jade smirked. "That's twisted. Yeah, we can be partners on this."

The reasoning behind Jade's decision may have been a little twisted itself, but Tori didn't really mind. She'd take any opportunity she could to spend more time with her. "Great," Tori agreed quickly and settled into her seat.

Jade flipped to a blank page in her notebook and looked at the girl next to her. "You're not gonna write anything?"

Tori shrugged. "I just figured you'd write it."

"You _figured_," Jade repeated slowly.

"Yeah. You were always better at the writing thing than me," Tori mused, remembering the countless times Jade had written stories for her on the inside of paper planes. Even when they were together in one of their blanket castles, Jade would make up the stories and Tori would just giggle along. "But if you want me to-"

"No," Jade interrupted. "No, it's cool, I'll write it. I'm just used to," she trailed off, glancing in Beck's direction, "more of a fight about it."

Tori followed her gaze and frowned. "He'd fight with you about it?"

"He wasn't happy that I always wrote everything. He had plenty of input, but," she shrugged and pulled a pen out of her bag. "He wanted control over the final product, but his final products were always shit."

Jade started taking notes and Tori's gaze returned to Beck. She still didn't know what happened that made them break up, and she really didn't know how Jade felt about it. He was another thing they had to talk about. She glanced at what Jade had written and frowned at the title of the page. "Contempt?"

"Rage and loathing, Vega," Jade's pen moved across the page, "culminate in contempt. You picked it."

"Ah, this is a strange pair," Sikowitz sidled up next to them. "Jade, Toro, what have you picked?"

"Contempt, apparently," Tori mumbled.

"You're going to kill your partner, aren't you?" Sikowitz deadpanned as he turned to Jade.

Jade chuckled and shook her head. "No death this time. Promise."

"No… no death?" Sikowitz clutched at his chest dramatically. "Who are you and what have you done with Jade West?"

Jade laughed openly and Tori was kind of awestruck by their strange interaction. She made a mental note. Jade actually _liked_ Sikowitz, despite his insanity. Or maybe because of it? "Don't you go and typecast me, old man," Jade said as she jotted something down. "I might just surprise you with this one."

"Hmm," Sikowitz narrowed his eyes as a coconut materialized in his hand. "We'll see. We. Shall. See."

He wandered away towards Andre, Beck, Cat, and Robbie, and Tori turned back to Jade. "So," she slapped her hands on her knees, "what have you got so far?"

They spent the rest of class brainstorming. Whenever Tori threw an idea out, Jade's eyes would either light up, or roll, but Tori was happy because a lot of her ideas had actually made it onto the page. A few were even underlined. When the bell rang, they had only actually decided on one thing, but both of them were optimistic on how it would turn out.

"I'll write up a draft tonight," Jade stood up and threw her bag over her shoulder, "and then tomorrow we can run through it in class and see if it works."

"Okay, but," Tori slowly stood up, "I was kinda hoping we could," she glanced at Beck as he walked past, shooting them both a quick smile, "y'know, Q and A later?" she added quietly.

Jade's eyes narrowed as she cocked her hip to the side. She lifted her chin, looking at Tori in a ridiculously intimidating way, and Tori's nerves were on edge again. "Meet me by my car at lunch." Jade leaned in close as she brushed past Tori. "You can Q my A all you want, _baby_."

Tori screwed her eyes shut as Jade left the classroom. Yeah, she _totally_ regretted letting that whole baby thing slip. She knew Jade was just doing it to mess with her, to tease her, but it still sent a ridiculous shiver up her spine. "Oh, man."

She really did want to take things slow. She wanted to get to know Jade as she was now, figure out how they fit together now, but she had grown up, and Jade had _really _grown up, and the teenager in Tori didn't want to go any slower than a race car. She just really had to hope that one of them had some self-control, or else things between them could get really messy really fast.

The late bell rang and Tori didn't even realize she was still standing, alone, in Sikowitz's empty classroom. "Oh, man!"

The rest of the morning lurched by slowly, and it seemed like the entire week had passed before Tori was back at her locker, quickly swapping out her books for the afternoon. And then she was practically sprinting out towards the parking lot.

Jade was leaning against her car, her arms at her sides and her head thrown back, soaking in the grey, cloudy skies. "Jade!" Tori called, waving a hand in the air to get her attention. Jade's head turned and a smile slowly stretched across her lips. The sight honestly made Tori a little giddy, and she quickened her steps. Jade was happy to see her! That was awesome! That was a really good sign! Tori loped closer, aware of just how ridiculous she must have looked.

Now, Jade's eyebrow wasn't exactly sexual. It was an _eyebrow_, for the love of chizz. But man, what that girl _did_ with her eyebrow? Could lead a man to commit murder. Or a Tori to trip over her own feet and fall, flailing forward, landing on said girl. On a very inappropriate part of said girl. Tori just kind of stared at her hand, and the definite body part underneath of it. And she could only think one thing. _Boob_.

"Havin' fun there, champ?"

Tori looked up, still not moving her hand, and smiled weakly. Jade's hands were thrown out to her sides, and that _eyebrow_ was quirked. "Sorry," Tori said hurriedly, straightening up and finally dropping her hand. "I'm so sorry, I tripped and fell and-"

"Decided to cop a feel?" An amused smirk played across Jade's lips. "What happened to 'hands off'?"

Tori swore she had never blushed so hard in her entire life. "I- It was an accident. Seriously. I wouldn't _ever_- I mean, I would, _totally_, but not in school! I mean, I'd at least- I mean- Shutting up now."

Jade's smirk was a full blown smile, and her eyes danced with mirth. "No. Please. Continue." She folded her arms across her chest, and Tori's eyes were suddenly glued to the sight. "You'd at least _what_?"

"I'd, ya know," Tori fidgeted, doing a fair impression of Cat when she really had to pee. "Buy you dinner first?"

"Oh?" Both of Jade's eyebrows rose. "Would you now?"

Tori couldn't believe this was actually happening. She'd been so… _smooth_ yesterday. She'd been all flirty and doing her best _sexy_ impression. And Jade had totally eaten it up. But now, she was just… kinda-dorky Tori again. "Yes?" She offered weakly.

Jade gave Tori a blatant once-over, and suddenly Tori was blushing for an entirely different reason. "Then Friday will be quite interesting, won't it, _baby_?" Tori's jaw fell open, and she stared as Jade _strutted_ away from her car. "Come on, this way."

Tori shook her head like a cartoon character and followed, blindly, wherever Jade was leading her.

Which was to the coffee shop across the street. The one she could see through the window in their screenwriting class. "Oh, I've wanted to come here!" Tori gasped excitedly as she followed Jade inside.

Jade's eyebrow did that thing again as she turned slightly. "Then it's your lucky day, isn't it?" There were only a few people inside, and Jade walked right up to the counter. "Coffee and one of those things with the stuff."

Tori smiled at her vague order, but Jade must've gone there a lot because the young man behind the counter nodded and set off to get her order, like he knew exactly what she was talking about. He poured a little sugar into the coffee before setting it down on the counter. "You got another play coming up soon?" He asked as he grabbed 'one of those things with the stuff', which turned out to be a bear claw.

Jade shrugged as she picked up her coffee. "I've got a lot going on right now, with classes and school, so probably not for a while. Sorry, Mike."

"Aww. That one with the girl trapped in the well was so good, though!" He actually looked disappointed, and Tori felt a strange emotion stir in her stomach. _Mike_ placed the bear claw on a large napkin and set it on the counter. "If you do one, let me know."

Jade just nodded and stepped to the side, both of them turning their attention to Tori. "What can I get you?"

"Water," Tori answered automatically. Mike glanced between them and Jade raised her eyebrow expectantly. "And a muffin? Blueberry?"

Mike chuckled and opened the glass display case. "One blueberry muffin," he placed it on the napkin with Jade's bear claw, "and just grab a water from the drink case over there."

Tori mumbled a thanks as _Mike _struck up another conversation with Jade. Why did _he_ get to see one of Jade's plays? Why did _he _get to act all disappointed that she was too busy to write another one? Tori wasn't jealous, she was just… Okay, she slid the door to the case closed. She was a little jealous. She had just missed so much of Jade's life, and it made her kind of sad that she didn't get to be a part of it when _Mike_ did.

"You good, Groucho?" Jade asked.

Tori turned and nodded. "Yeah," she mumbled as Jade held out the napkin for her. Tori took her muffin and trailed behind Jade to one of the tables outside.

"Mike graduated Hollywood Arts last year," Jade explained as she sat down. "He wrote a killer musical that he's trying to get produced and he promised me a role."

"So," Tori took her own seat, "he's a friend?"

Jade's face screwed up. "He's a good playwright and I respect his work, but god no! He hits on me every time I come here. It's gross."

That admission did absolutely nothing to loosen the knot in Tori's stomach. "Then why do you come here so often that he knows your order?"

Jade blinked and held up her bear claw. "I deal with that skeeze because this is _literally _the best thing I've ever put in my mouth." She broke a piece off and held it out to Tori. "Seriously. Try it."

Tori frowned at the offered pastry but Jade just shoved it closer. With a roll of her eyes, Tori took it and popped it into her mouth. And then her eyes rolled back into her head. It was absolutely delicious. "Oh my god. Yum!"

"Right?" Jade chuckled. She settled back in her seat and took a sip of coffee. "So, what's up?"

"I just," Tori swallowed and cracked open her water, "I wanted to talk to you about Beck." She took a sip as Jade's eyes narrowed.

"What about Beck?"

Tori gulped down some more water. The knot was still in her stomach, and she realized that _Beck_, like _Mike_, was the cause of it. "Why did you guys break up?"

Jade glanced to the street as a car drove by. She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Because we did."

"Yeah, but-"

"It has no relation to you and me," Jade snapped, "so it's irrelevant, and we're not talking about it."

Tori was about to protest, point out that Jade had said no restrictions on the questions she could ask, but thought better of it. Instead, she settled on something a little safer. "Are you okay with it? Like, are you upset about it?"

"I _just_ said it was irrelevant."

"You said _Beck_ was irrelevant," Tori countered. "Your feelings, however, aren't. I just want to know if," she trailed off, picking at the muffin in front of her, "if you're just…"

Jade's eyebrows drew together. "You want to know if you're just a rebound?" Her voice was low, dangerous, and Tori's eyes snapped up. "If I'm 'confused' or 'upset' about him and using you as a filler?"

"_No_," Tori said emphatically. "It's not like that at all. I just want to make sure that we're both as clear-headed as we can be, because our… situation is overwhelming enough without other influences."

Jade stared at her for a minute. It was a full minute because Tori started counting the seconds until Jade finally responded. "You're not a fucking rebound, Vega. I don't know what you are, but that's what this talking shit is supposed to establish, right?"

"Right," Tori nodded.

"You're not a rebound," Jade reiterated.

Tori was kind of glad that Jade was making that perfectly clear. Because even though she really hadn't meant it like that, the thought had crossed her mind. And it worried her. But it seemed like Jade knew that Tori might have been concerned, a little bit, and wanted to reassure her that her worry was baseless. "And you're okay? About Beck?"

"Yes. We grew apart, and the final split was a long time coming. I'm fine with it."

Tori studied her and gave a quick nod. "Okay." Jade turned her attention back to her bear claw, and Tori broke off a big piece of her muffin. "Andre asked me about you this morning."

Jade glanced up. "And?"

"I told him I couldn't talk about it."

"Do you want to talk to him about it?"

"Well, I mean, he already knows," Tori ventured, taking confidence from the fact that Jade didn't seem bothered with the idea of it. "And Trina's the only one who _knows _knows, and it would be nice to, like, have a _human_-"

Jade smirked at the insult. "Nice."

"-to talk to about it every now and then," Tori continued. "So is that okay?"

"Seriously?" Jade's eyebrow quirked. "You're asking my _permission_ to talk to 'Dre?"

"About _us_?" Tori shot her a pointed look. "Yes. I'm talking the whole, messy story. Which isn't just my story, so I thought I would ask you if that's alright. For him to know."

An unreadable look passed across Jade's face and Tori gulped. Slowly, Jade's lips lifted. "Tori, you can tell Andre any and every thing you want. While I would prefer that you talk about me _with me_, I get why you want him to know." Tori tried really hard to keep her eyes from wandering as Jade leaned forward. "So, _yes, baby,_ you can tell him."

Tori's smile was sort of a grimace and Jade smirked. "Must you? With the 'baby'?"

"Yes. I must." Jade finished her bear claw, a devilish glint in her eyes.

Honestly, Tori wasn't really bothered by it. She _liked_ it. It's just that, knowing Jade was only doing it to tease her, kind of made it less special. But maybe, someday, it wouldn't be teasing. And Tori was absolutely okay with holding onto that hope.

They finished up lunch talking about Sikowitz's assignment and then headed back to school. Cat immediately latched onto Jade's arm in the hallway and started asking questions about whatever they were covering in science, and Tori wandered over to Andre's locker.

"Hey, where were you during lunch?" He asked, shuffling his books around.

"Jade and I were talking about our scene for Sikowitz."

"Yeah?" He looked at her, seeming like he wanted to say something else, but just nodded his head and turned back to his backpack. "Cool."

"We talked about some other stuff, too," Tori smiled. Andre glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "What are you doing after school?"

"The faucet in my grandma's kitchen has been leaking and she thinks it's trying to drown her," he sighed. "So I have to fix that, but it shouldn't take too long. Why?"

"Well," Tori fell into step next to him as they headed towards class, "I was hoping we could hang out? Maybe I could finally take you up on that offer to talk?"

Andre's face split into a grin. "Yeah, alright. I'll come over after I finish at my grandma's. Five good?"

"Sounds great."

Andre nodded as they headed in different directions, and Tori let out a small 'Yay!' to herself. She and Jade were talking, and taking steps towards something Tori was really excited about. Trina seemed as okay with Jade being back as she'd ever be. And now Tori was able to actually talk about it, _all_ of it, with her friend. The situation was still complex, but pieces were slowly starting to fall into place. She couldn't help but feel optimistic.

When she strolled into her screenwriting class later and placed her report on the teacher's desk, she was positively chipper. "Um, Ms. Vega?"

"Yeah?" Tori spun on her heel, a smile on her face.

"This isn't due until Friday," her teacher said, glancing over the paper.

"Yeah, Jade and I finished it early and wanted to turn it in." Tori shifted out of the way as a few students headed towards their desks.

His head tilted as he skimmed the pages in front of him. "You and Jade," he glanced up, "_both_ wrote this?"

Tori frowned. "Yeah."

"She didn't, you know, write the whole thing herself and demand you turn it in so it looks like you actually helped, did she?" Tori balked, more than a little offended at his suggestion that she hadn't done any of the work. "It's just," he said quickly, "it wouldn't be the first time. So I kind of have to ask."

"No," Tori said indignantly. "She didn't. And I think you'll find that I actually made some of the _better _points."

He dropped the paper and held his hands up. "I'm sorry. You don't participate that much in class, and I just had to make sure." Tori stared him down and was glad when he fidgeted uncomfortably. "You can take your seat now, Ms. Vega."

Tori almost crashed into Jade when she spun around. Jade cast a curious glance at their teacher and quirked a brow at Tori, as if asking 'What the hell was that about?' Tori just shook her head and stormed over to her seat, deciding to raise her hand every chance she got. She'd show him 'participation'.

A small piece of paper was slid onto her desk not a minute later.

**Did he freak over us turning the paper in early?**

Tori scribbled a response and shoved it back over.

_He thought that you wrote the whole thing and just wanted me to turn it in so it looked like I worked on it._

Jade rolled her eyes as her pen skidded across the note.

**That happened **_**one**_** time and he won't let it go.**

_Jade!_

**What? My partner on that project was an idiot. He was even worse with names than you are.**

_I am not bad with names!_

**Alfredo.**

Tori huffed and crumpled up the paper, earning an amused eyeroll from the girl next to her. Jade wasn't deterred, and another note ended up on Tori's desk. Tori promptly ignored it, instead choosing to raise her hand and answer a question. The teacher actually looked surprised and smiled at her when she got it right. Tori leaned back in satisfaction. Yeah, she showed him. Another note slipped onto her desk. Tori glanced at Jade before opening it.

**Teacher's pet.**

Tori rolled her eyes and opened the first one, a blush staining her cheeks as soon as she read it.

**You're cute when you get all huffy.**

Jade just shrugged in an 'it's true', nonchalant way, but Tori spent the rest of class doodling the small smile that played on the edge of Jade's lips. So much for her participation.

The bell rang, and for once Jade didn't immediately run from the classroom. Instead she leaned over, grabbed Tori's notebook, and ripped out the page with her face sketched all over it. "Creeper," Jade mumbled as she tossed the notebook back.

"Hey," Tori protested, quickly grabbing her bag to follow Jade out of class, "I've got actual notes on that page!"

Jade turned and started walking backwards down the hallway. "They're terrible notes, Vega. I did you a favor."

Tori drew to a stop and gaped, throwing her hands up in defeat as Jade smirked and continued walking away from her. "They're not that bad!"

Jade just threw a hand in the air. "Terrible!"

Huffing, yet again, Tori turned and headed towards her vocal class. _That girl_. It was just how Jade was. She always had a bite to match her bark, and when it was turned on Tori, it was never malicious. Just teasing. It's how Jade had always been. It didn't make it any less annoying, though.

"What's the smile for?" Cat poked Tori's side as she took a seat.

"Huh?" Tori dropped her bag by her feet. "What smile?"

"It's your '_I'm not smiling because of a boy_' smile," Andre grinned, flopping his hands around theatrically as his voice rose about three octaves.

"It's not a boy," Tori mumbled. She hadn't even realized she had been smiling.

"I know," Andre nudged her side.

Cat giggled and shuffled a little closer in her seat. "So who's the boy?"

"It's not a boy," Tori and Andre answered at the same time.

Without missing a beat, Cat asked, "Okay, so who's the girl?"

"It's not a-" Tori blinked. "Why would you think it's a girl?"

"Because," Cat poked at Tori's cheek, "that's the same smile my brother gets when he watches the old lady across the street. He _loves_ her. But she doesn't love him because of that time he set her car on fire. But it's definitely a love smile, and if it's not because of a boy then it's because of a girl."

"If you ignore the part about her brother," Andre pointed out, "Little Red's got a point."

Tori swatted his shoulder. "It's _nothing_." She shot him a look that said if he mentioned Jade, in any way, he was in _big_ trouble. He turned in his seat as Cat just looked between them. "It's no one, Cat. Don't worry about it. Tell me more about the car fire?"

Thankfully, Cat couldn't actually continue the story because their teacher started talking, but she did continue to shoot Tori questioning glances throughout class.

Halfway through her last class of the day, someone knocked on the door. Tori's teacher frowned, dropping her chalk as she walked over to it. She glanced through the small window in the door and turned to the class. "Copy the notes on the board, no talking," she shot a glance at a boy in the back who had a habit of interrupting before slipping out into the hallway. Immediately, murmurs of conversations broke out, silenced just a moment later when the door opened again. "Tori? Grab your stuff." Her teacher walked back over to her desk.

Tori frowned, shoving her notebook into her bag. "Is everything okay?" She asked nervously, sliding out of her seat as she threw her bag over her shoulder. "Did something happen to my sister?"

"No, you just have to go to Lane's office."

A chorus of 'oo's echoed through the room.

The teacher shot a stern glare at her students and ushered Tori towards the door. "It's nothing bad."

"She probably cussed out another teacher," the boy in the back said.

"Hey!" She opened the door for Tori but stared at him. "You want detention? Because I can give you detention."

Tori slipped into the hallway, her stomach in knots as she slowly made her way to the guidance counselor's office. She wracked her brain, desperately trying to figure out what she had done wrong. The only thing she could come up with was that she'd left campus for lunch. But a lot of kids did that. Sure, they were mostly seniors, but underclassmen would do it, too, and she'd never heard of anyone getting in trouble over it.

Tori knocked nervously before opening the door. She poked her head into the office and smiled. "You wanted to see me?"

Lane turned around in the swing that hung from his ceiling. "Tori, come on in." She gulped and stepped inside. "You're not in trouble," Lane chuckled, pulling a foot up onto the seat. "So relax. I just wanted to talk to you."

"Okay," she said warily. "What about?" Lane reached over to his desk and picked up a piece of paper. He handed it over and Tori's eyes grew wide. It was her notes from screenwriting. Seriously? She was getting in trouble for drawing during class? Dammit, Jade! "I was paying attention, I swear," she said quickly.

"_You're not in trouble_," he repeated with a laugh. "But I do have a question for you."

Tori frowned. "Okay?"

"Are there any classes of yours that you don't like? That you aren't interested in?"

"Um," Tori thought about it for a moment and shrugged. "Not really? I mean the dance one is a little weird, but," she trailed off as Lane stood up.

He shuffled through some papers on his desk and grabbed one. "Interpretive Dance, fourth period?" Tori nodded. Lane dropped her schedule and sat on the edge of his desk. "Here at Hollywood Arts, we really believe in nurturing an artist's natural talents, whatever form they come in. So, when a talent comes to light, we like to confer with the student and see if it's a passion that they might like to pursue."

Her face was in a permanent, confused frown. "I don't understand."

"What I'm asking you is," Lane folded his hands on his knee and smiled at her, "would you like to transfer into a drawing course?"

"But," Tori looked at the paper again. They were just _doodles_. "I thought they were all full? When I was signing up they were all full."

"We make exceptions in special circumstances. And that," Lane pointed at the paper, "is a special circumstance."

"I…" Tori stared at the paper. She couldn't believe it. Jade had stolen her paper and… turned it into Lane? To get her into one of the drawing classes? Tori didn't know whether to hug Jade or hit her. "Can I?" she asked, a hint of hope drowning out the confusion.

"Yes." Lane nodded. "Absolutely." He pushed off his desk and handed her a form. "Think about it tonight. Talk it over with your parents if you want. If you decide to transfer, there's an advanced drawing class fourth period."

"_Advanced_?" Tori squeaked.

Lane chuckled, his eyebrows rising slightly. "Trust me, Tori. _Advanced_."

Tori might have breathed a 'wow'. She definitely broke into a smile. Lane ushered her out with another 'Think about it', and she totally squealed in delight as soon as she left his office. And then the bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and her eyes narrowed into slits. "_Jade_."

The girl in question was already at her locker when Tori stormed up. Jade pulled her head back as her locker door was slammed shut. "Vega. Lovely to see you, too."

"You went to _Lane_?" Tori hissed.

Jade scoffed, every inch of her face twisted in indignation. "I did not!"

"Then why was I called into his office, where he gave me _this_?" Tori held up her doodles and the transfer form.

"Because," Jade shoved Tori's hand out of her face, "I went to the drawing teacher!"

Tori threw her arms out. "How is that any different?!"

"Because he isn't _Lane_," Jade rolled her eyes, opening her locker back up. Tori slammed it shut again. "Vega," Jade said slowly, "do that again and-"

"And what?" Tori waved her hands frantically in the air. "You'll get me transferred into a college level form sketching class?" Jade actually seemed to contemplate that and Tori huffed. "You shouldn't have done it, Jade!"

"Did you want to sign up for a drawing class when you came to Hollywood Arts?"

"Yes, but-"

"And did you _just_ get into a drawing class at Hollywood Arts?"

"_Yes_, but-"

"Then what's the problem?!"

"You went behind my back!" Tori was seething, and Jade softened a bit at the anger and hurt in her eyes. "You went _behind my back_ and didn't even _talk_ to me about this."

Jade ran her fingers through her hair. "Look, if I had suggested it to you… that you show Mr. Macey your pictures to get into his class, would you have done it?"

"Yes," Tori snapped immediately. Jade tilted her head and Tori eased back a little. "Maybe."

"No," Jade said bluntly, "you wouldn't. Because you call them fucking doodles, which means you have _no idea_ how good they are, which means you don't have the confidence to stand behind them and fight for what you deserve."

A crease formed in Tori's brow. "I have confidence in them."

"Why did you perform in the showcase?" Jade asked, changing topics at such a lightning speed that Tori could only blurt out the truth.

"Because Trina's tongue got all weird and Andre was panicking and kind of made me."

"_Exactly_!" Jade shoved a finger into Tori's chest. "You didn't even have the confidence to audition _on your own merits_. Andre gave you the push that got you into this school, and I gave you the push that just got you into a class you wanted." Tori couldn't really argue with that logic and Jade folded her arms across her chest. "If you didn't get pissed at him for what he did, then you can't get pissed at me for this." Tori stared at the papers in her hands, only looking up when Jade cupped her chin and forced her to. "I'm not the slightest bit sorry," she said gently, "but I probably should have at least talked to you about it. Okay?"

Tori bit her bottom lip and shuffled her feet. "You really think I deserve to be in that class?"

"Your 'doodles'," Jade released Tori's chin to curl her fingers in airquotes, "are better than the shit that teacher shows in galleries. And that dude's won awards."

"Are you sure you aren't biased because they're all of you?"

Jade heaved out a sigh and turned her head away. "Your gorgeous subject matter aside, they are very good drawings. Even if they were pictures of Robbie, they'd still be rather decent. If people could stand to look at Shapiro's face long enough to realize that."

Tori beamed and threw her arms around Jade's neck, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Eww, Vega, we're in the middle of the hallway."

"I don't care," Tori murmured into her hair.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, you're welcome." Jade patted Tori's back awkwardly and then started pushing her away. She had never been a fan of hugs. Probably never would be. But Tori clung on until the last possible second anyway.

On the drive home, Trina kept giving her the side-eye. "Why do you look like that?"

"Like what?" Tori asked absently, re-reading the transfer form for the millionth time.

"Like _that_." Trina smooshed her palm against Tori's face for emphasis. "You're smiling so wide it's like your face is broken."

Tori giggled and pushed her sister's hand away. "Lane's letting me transfer into the advanced drawing class."

"Whaaa?" Trina's face lit up. "Tor, that's awesome!"

"I know, right! He said-"

"There's this boy with the bluest eyes I've ever seen in that class. You _have_ to talk me up to him. But don't tell him you're my dorky sister. Just casually mention me in conversation."

Even Trina couldn't bring Tori's mood down. "Boy. Blue eyes." Tori clicked her tongue as she pointed at Trina with a wink. "Got it."

"Awesome," Trina breathed. "You wanna get ice cream or something to celebrate my new boyfriend?"

Tori had to laugh at that. "He's not your boyfriend."

"_Yet_," Trina emphasized. "Give it time, baby sis. I'll be marrying that beautiful boy by graduation."

"Yeah." Tori leaned back in her seat, her smile never dimming. "Let's celebrate."

By the time they got back home, it was almost five o'clock and Andre was already waiting on the front porch. "Andre," Tori gasped, having run from the car, "I'm so sorry. We went out for ice cream and-"

"It's cool," he interrupted with a smile, "I'm early anyway." Trina unlocked the door and they all headed inside. "How was the ice cream?"

"Delicious," Tori answered, holding up a small bag. "I might've brought you a little scoop."

"Sweet!" He took the bag with a grin.

Trina snapped her fingers to get their attention. "I'm taking my nap now, so please be quiet. No singing. No piano. Keep the girlish squeals of delight to a dull roar." Tori nodded and Andre mimed zipping his lips. "Thank you and goodbye." Trina flounced off towards the stairs.

Tori jerked her head towards the back door, and Andre followed her out to the patio. "So," he stretched out on one of the lounge chairs by the pool and opened the bag, "do you Vega girls _always_ get ice cream or what?"

"Only when we're celebrating," Tori laughed as she sat down next to him.

"Celebrating?" Andre took out the cup and plastic spoon. "You and Jade official or something?"

"Oh, no. No, no, no," Tori said quickly. "Nothing like that. But Lane's letting me transfer into the advanced drawing class."

Andre's eyes grew wider than the styrofoam cup in his hands. "Advanced drawing?" he asked around a mouthful of ice cream.

"Yeah, isnt' that great?"

"Tor," he swallowed, "that class is like… _legit_. Their final projects get displayed in that big gallery downtown. The one with the glass ceiling and the naked lady out front."

"Naked," Tori's face scrunched up, "lady?"

"Well, I think it's a naked lady. It's a weird sculpture." He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "But it's for seriously talented artists and you got in? That's awesome!"

Tori grinned. "I'm a little excited about it."

"Yeah, you seem thrilled," Andre chuckled, taking another scoop. "So, how'd it happen?"

"Apparently the teacher and Lane saw one of my," she was about to say 'doodles', but then Jade's voice rang through her head, "my _drawings_, and kind of insisted I transfer."

"Wow," Andre breathed. He stared at the pool for a minute and then turned to her. "Wait. I've never seen you draw."

"Well, I don't really show people. They're, just, y'know, things I doodle."

"Doodles don't get into advanced drawing," Andre said. "Can I see 'em?"

Tori glanced at the door to the house. Honestly, she'd really only been drawing one thing lately. "Um, they're kind of…"

"What?" Andre leaned over, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. "Are they dirty pictures?"

"Andre! No, they're not dirty! They're just…" Tori shrank into herself a bit, "kind of all pictures of Jade?"

Andre let out a low whistle. "You got it bad, girl. And Lane saw a drawing that you did of Jade?"

"Yeah."

"Does Jade know?"

"Yeah," Tori drawled. "She's kind of the reason Lane saw it."

Andre narrowed his eyes and Tori could see the cogs in his brain turning. "I'm guessing that she didn't show him in hopes that it would get you expelled or arrested for stalking?"

"No," Tori chuckled. "She wanted me to get into the class."

More cogs turning. "There's a piece of this puzzle missing. 'Cause no offense, but y'all are crazy if you're _that_ into each other after, like, a month."

This was it. Time to spill the beans. Andre was looking at her expectantly and Tori took a deep breath. "Well, it hasn't been a month. I mean, it _has_, but not really?"

Andre glanced at his ice cream before looking back. "Either I've got brain freeze or you need to explain better."

"You know that house next door?" Tori pointed towards the corner of her fence that separated her yard from the neighbors' and Andre's gaze followed. "Jade used to live there. When we were kids."

His head jerked back and he blinked rapidly. "Kids?"

"Yeah. Jade and I were actually, like, _best _friends for _years_ before she moved away."

"No way." Andre screwed his eyes shut and shook his head, causing Tori's shoulders to sag. She'd expected him to believe her. And hopefully understand enough that she could maybe get his advice on the whole thing. Andre opened his eyes and gave Tori a disbelieving look. "Jade used to be a _kid_? I can't even imagine that. I always assumed she popped out of her mom fully grown with a scowl and a cup of coffee." Tori relaxed in relieved laughter as Andre just continued. "Seriously, just... Jade? Tiny Jade? With a _friend_?"

"Yeah," Tori managed to say between chuckles. "Tiny Jade camping out in Tiny Tori's backyard during the summer."

"Whoa." Andre turned from side to side, looking for somewhere safe to place his ice cream. He set it down on the end of his chair and turned fully to face Tori. "Seriously? Do you have pictures?"

He seemed way too excited, and Tori knew that when Jade had said to tell Andre 'any and every thing', photographic evidence probably wasn't included in those parameters. "Yeah, but you'll never see them."

"Aw, man!" He kicked a foot out and fell back in his seat dramatically. "Why? I won't tell anyone!" He squirmed like a toddler. "I just wanna post 'em on the Slap! I'd get _so_ many followers!"

Tori laughed and slapped his knee. "You're not posting _anything_ on the Slap."

He whined and curled into a ball. "Just one?"

"Just nothin'."

He stretched out with a defeated groan. "When did you get to be so not-fun?"

"How could you say that? And after I brought you back a _scoop_," Tori gasped and snatched the ice cream back, even though it was pretty much finished anyway.

Andre sat back up, still pouting, but seemed to be taking their conversation a little more seriously. "That explains a lot about y'all, though. Why it was like electric between you two. And the song." He nodded slowly, the pout turning into a contemplative look. "_Definitely_ the song. _And_ the staring."

"We don't stare," Tori said more to herself than to him. Did they really stare that much? One look at Andre's face told her that, yeah, they really did stare that much. "Fine," she sighed, "we stare."

"So, like," He adjusted to lean forward a bit, "is that why it's so complicated between you?"

"Yeah. We're trying to get to know each other again. Figure some stuff out."

"Love stuff?"

"And friend stuff."

"But you love her, right?"

"Yeah, she's," Tori glanced wistfully at the patch of grass where she and Jade would always camp, "she's Jade."

"Man," Andre leaned back in his seat and let out a quick, breathy laugh. "Y'all are on some movie chizz with this."

"What do you mean?"

"Best friends from childhood," he folded his hands behind his head and stretched his legs out on the chair, "separated and then reunited years later, only to find that their friendship was never really friendship but something more." He glanced at her before letting his eyes slide closed. "It's like something from a movie. A movie Jade would _never _watch."

Tori chuckled at the idea of Jade watching a movie like that. He was right. She would never watch something that sappy, but there she was. Living it. "Can you imagine?"

He snorted with laughter. "Yeah. I can also imagine her destroying the dvd case with her _special_ scissors." His eyes snapped open with alarm. "Has she always had a thing with scissors?"

"No," Tori drew the word out as she shook her head, "_that_ is something new."

Andre stared at her for a minute. His mouth twitched. "Maybe it's just you. Older, cuter. Jade's struck with her blossoming attraction to you and just can't help but… y'know… think of _scissors_."

It took Tori a moment to get what he was saying. And then when she did, her mouth fell open and she threw the ice cream cup at his head. "Andre! You are so… so dirty!"

"Hey," He held his hands up defensively, "you can't get mad at me for noticing. Jade is a very attractive girl."

"Oh, so she turns you on?"

"I'm a teenage boy," He said bluntly, "looking at a _chair_ for too long turns me on." Tori huffed and rolled her eyes. "You can't tell me, honestly, that you haven't noticed."

She folded her arms across her chest, trying, and failing, to fight the blush creeping up her cheeks. "I hadn't noticed." They both knew it was a lie.

"Well you better get to noticing," he mumbled. "'Cause if you don't wanna tap that, about half the student body is more than willing to risk a limb trying."

At school the next day, Tori paid attention. Like, so much attention that it could have been called obsessive. She paid attention when Jade was at her locker, or walking through the halls, or sitting at the lunch table. And what she noticed was kind of terrifying.

Andre was right.

It seemed like half the students, both boys and girls, totally wanted to get with Jade. No one made a blatant move that Tori saw, but there were tons of glances, and looks, and _stares_, that gave away just how desirable Jade was. And Tori knew that. She knew Jade was attractive. She wouldn't have been so close to kissing her so many times if she wasn't attracted to her. But… realizing that she wasn't the only one who thought that was a bit of a shock.

Because Jade had kind of existed in a bubble for her. She was _Jade_, and Tori knew that no one really saw Jade like she did, so she just kind of assumed that no one saw Jade period.

Oh, how wrong she was.

Jade and Beck had been broken up for several weeks, and neither of them was going to stay single for much longer. One way or another, Jade was going to be the center of someone's attention. Lunch ended two minutes ago and Tori had already counted _six _people check Jade out.

"You're freakin'," Andre said quietly, leaning against the locker next to hers. "You need a tissue or a shoulder or somethin'?"

"I'm not gonna cry," Tori replied. At least, she really, _really_ hoped that she wouldn't cry. But Jade was at her own locker, and _some boy _was staring at her ass from across the hall. _Seven people_.

"You finally realize how right I am?"

"Yeah," Tori whined. "You were right and now I'm worried. 'Cause what if-"

"It's a real date, Tor," he said quickly, practically reading her mind. They'd continued talking the night before, and Andre had seemed impressed when Tori told him about the 'date'. "Jade's kind of blunt about stuff, in case you hadn't noticed. If she told you that you were taking her on a date, she meant you were taking her on a _date_. Just… chill and try not to freak. No one is attractive when they're freakin' the freak out."

Tori glared at him, but her smile was a little more sincere. "Thanks. That's super helpful."

"It's what I'm here for." He moved behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "You've got a date with one of the hottest girls in school on Friday. You're starting your new drawing class tomorrow. _And_ you've got the greatest friend ever in the world." Tori shot him a grin as he squeezed her shoulders and moved away. "Everything's comin' up Tori, so keep it cool."

"Why does she need to keep it cool?"

Andre jumped a foot in the air, and even Tori was startled. Neither of them had noticed Jade approaching.

"Uh," Andre took a nervous step away from Jade. "You know, she's just nervous about," he looked to Tori for help, "that thing."

"Yeah, the, uh," Tori glanced between Andre and Jade, "the thing."

"You two are the absolute worst liars I've ever met." Jade rolled her eyes, immediately dismissing whatever they were talking about before she showed up. Andre took it as his cue to leave and ran off. "Vega, we're working on our scene after school, so meet me by my car."

"Okay! Sounds great."

Jade was just turning to leave, but something in Tori's nervous smile made her stop. "Seriously, what were you guys talking about? You look like you killed someone and don't know where to hide the body."

Tori frowned. "Really? That's the analogy you're going with?"

"If the shoe fits," Jade shrugged before heading off down the hall.

Tori glanced at the ceiling when the bell rang. Great. If she didn't haul butt she was gonna be late for theater history. It didn't even matter, because they had a substitute, again, and Tori spent the entire class drawing Jade. Again.

Screenwriting seemed to become pass-notes-with-Jade-time. And somehow, Jade still filled two pages with actual notes from the class, while Tori had only managed to get 'dialogue = important' written down. Well, that and a cartoon of Jade dressed up as a cowgirl. When the bell rang, Tori dropped her head on her desk with a heavy thump.

Her notebook was slowly pulled out from under her, causing her head to hit the desk a second time, and Jade just breathed out a "Jesus."

Tori turned her head to look at Jade, never breaking contact with the desk. "Yeah. Exactly. I seem to be a little _distracted_."

The cringe never fell from Jade's face. She closed the notebook and shoved it into Tori's bag. "Screw Sikowitz, I'm tutoring you tonight."

"What?" Tori picked up her bag as Jade stood.

"We actually covered some important formatting shit today, and this is my best class. So, I'm schooling your ass in screenwriting." Jade took one step away, paused, then tossed a wink over her shoulder. "_Baby_."

"Yeah," Tori called to her back, "because _that _isn't distracting!" Tori could _see _the satisfaction in the sway of Jade's hips. "So distracting," she mumbled to herself, hurrying out of the room.

Tori got held up at the end of the day. Lane caught her at her locker and insisted on going over what she would need for her new class. She tried to pay attention, she really did, but her brain just kept saying _Jade, Jade, Jade _and Tori couldn't get away fast enough. Armed with a list of supplies, she hurried out to the parking lot.

And Jade was leaning against her car, exactly like she had been at lunch the day before, and Tori smiled like a maniac, just like she had then. She did not, however, trip and fall on Jade's chest. Which may or may not have been a little disappointing.

"What ya got there?" Jade glanced at the paper in Tori's lap as she pulled on her seatbelt.

"It's stuff I'm gonna need for the drawing class."

Jade snatched the paper away, her eyebrow slowly rising as she read over it. "I didn't even know they _made _pencils with numbers other than '2'. Do you have any of this stuff?"

"No," Tori shrugged. "I'll just ask my mom. She's not working today, so she can pick it all up for me."

Jade's eyes darted to Tori. "Your mom's home?"

Tori froze. Chizz. "Yeah, she is. We don't have to- I mean, if you're still not okay with-"

"It's fine." Jade shoved the paper at Tori and pulled her own seatbelt on. "We can just go to my house."

That… was a first. Ever. Even when they were kids, they _never_ went to Jade's house. Tori only knew what one wall of Jade's room looked like, because it was the one she could see through the window. "We don't have to," she offered, setting her phone on top of the paper.

Jade shrugged as she started her car. "It's fine."

But it wasn't fine. Jade's jaw had clenched, the muscles in her cheek flexing with tension. Tori was panicking. Jade wasn't talking. Both of her hands were clutching the steering wheel so tight her knuckles had gone white. "Tutor me at the store?" Tori blurted.

Jade blinked and glanced over at her. "What?"

"I've got some money on me, and you can tutor me while we get this stuff," She picked up the paper and quickly put it back down. "Two birds, one stone?"

"That's a terrible idea," Jade grumbled. But her grip on the wheel eased a bit, and her jaw relaxed, so Tori knew that she was grateful. "You won't be able to focus."

"Sure I will," Tori chirped. "_'Cause you're the best ding-darn screenwriting tutor Hollywood Arts has ever seen_!" She said in a terrible impression of Jade's impression of her.

A smirk tugged at Jade's lips. "You're doing the voice all wrong."

"Well you can tutor me on how to do that, too, then."

Jade's shoulders jerked in a silent chuckle. "God, do I have to teach you everything?" She moved one hand off the wheel and took hold of Tori's hand.

Tori beamed. "Yeah, but I'm a fast learner."

"Let's hope so."

Jade rattled off information the entire drive to the art store, and Tori tried really hard to focus on the words coming out of her mouth. She held Jade's hand with both of her own, idly rubbing a thumb across Jade's knuckles, or letting her fingertips graze against Jade's palm, occasionally slipping her fingers between Jade's. The contact was never broken, even when Tori rolled her eyes and huffed out, "I know what dialogue is."

"Yeah, but do you know the standard margin measurements for a character's name? Or that the actual words they say have different margins? Or how to format dialogue that's broken up by action?" Tori was quiet, her thumb running over the bone of Jade's wrist. "Yeah, didn't think so. That's the shit we were covering today. _That _is the shit that's gonna be on a test."

"Why didn't we cover that in the beginning? When we were analyzing scripts?"

"Because," Jade's fingers twitched, like she was going to throw her hand in the air, but Tori's grip tightened a little bit and Jade sighed instead, "that dumb teacher's got this thing about learning to _read before you can write_. He wants us to know what a good, final script should contain before teaching us how to actually write one."

"But you've written them, before," Tori said quickly. "I mean, you've written plays and had them performed, right?"

"The script for a play is totally different from one for a movie. And they're both different from television scripts. I've taken classes for all of them. This is, like, the fourth writing class I've taken."

"Four?" Tori's eyebrows rose as they finally pulled onto the street where the store was. She released Jade's hand so she could parallel park. "Why have you taken so many classes? You're an awesome writer already."

Jade rolled her eyes, focusing on moving the car into the parking space. "I, y'know," she didn't make eye contact and Tori noticed a slight pink rising in her cheeks as she mumbled, "made a promise to a girl that I'd never stop writing, so I take a lot of classes for it."

Tori's face split into a beaming grin. The fact that Jade not only remembered promising her that, but actually followed through and continued writing? Tori's heart exploded in her chest and warmth rushed through her veins. "Jade," she said quietly.

"Don't get all sappy, Vega," Jade grumbled, finally straightening out the car, "it was a long time ago and it's," she glanced over before quickly looking away again. "Whatever."

"Okay, Jade." Tori decided not to push her luck and brought the conversation back to their schoolwork. "I didn't realize that there were so many differences between different kinds of scripts."

"_Formatting_. All the differences boil down to formatting." Jade threw the car in park and turned it off. "That's really all these classes are good for. You can have the best fucking story in the world, but if it's formatted wrong it's going to read like shit. You've read Shakespeare, right?"

"We covered Romeo & Juliet at my last school."

"Eww," Jade actually sneered. "Dude's got _way _better plays than that. The only good part is that both of those idiots die at the end, but whatever," She shook her head. "Content aside, the way that was formatted was different from the shit we've been reading for this class, right?"

"Totally," Tori nodded and Jade shrugged. "Okay," Tori grabbed her bag and they both exited the car. "So, you're saying that if there's _one _thing I take away from this class, it's how to properly format a screenplay."

"Yes," Jade breathed as they started walking down the sidewalk.

"Okay, go over the margins again."

They only had to walk a couple of blocks, and Tori was totally paying attention while Jade talked. Like, actually paying attention. And even though she was kind of enthralled by how _passionate_ Jade was about margins, of all things, she didn't get distracted. Tori listened intently, and couldn't help but smile. It was moments like those, where Jade actually showed how much she cared, that Tori was reminded that no matter how much she had changed, she was still _Jade_.

"I'll be quizzing you later," Jade said as she opened the door to the store, "so I hope you were actually paying attention." Tori paused for a moment, while Jade just held the door open. Jade glanced from Tori to the door and then back, lifting her eyebrows. "Well? Are you going inside or what?"

Tori grinned. "Are you holding the door for me?"

A flash of shock crossed Jade's features, but she quickly covered it up with a smirk. "Don't get too excited, _baby_. I just like the view from behind."

Tori rolled her eyes, smiling through a blush, and walked into the store. "Oh," she said excitedly, "it smells like-"

"Sawdust and mud," Jade grumbled behind her. "Gross."

"It smells great," Tori whispered, pulling her list out of her bag. They headed through the store, getting a little lost near the jewelry section.

"God, it's so shiny." Jade ran her fingers over a large bag of metallic beads.

"Cat would have a field day," Tori chuckled, tugging on Jade's hand.

"These things are a choking hazard." Jade followed as Tori led her out of the aisle. "We should totally bring her here."

Tori ignored the comment, letting go of Jade's hand when they finally found the pencils. "There's so many." Tori's eyes grew wide as she looked at all the bins, and kits, and packages of different pencils. She glanced at her list and started picking up random ones, trying to find one that felt right. Jade wandered off as Tori slowly built a collection of supplies. She had a handful of new pencils when Jade finally came back.

"Someone rearranged all of those little wooden manikins into dirty poses."

Tori slowly stood up, her eyes narrow suspiciously. "_Someone_?" Jade shrugged, her lips twitching, and Tori rolled her eyes. "Can you grab one of those sketchbooks for me?"

Jade folded her arms across her chest. "What's the magic word?"

Tori straightened up as their eyes met. Jade's gaze flickered between Tori's eyes and lips, and Tori couldn't help herself. Jade had been teasing her for two days, and it was totally unfair that Tori didn't get to have any fun. So she took a step closer and pushed her bottom lip out in a pout. "Please, _baby_?" Jade's eyelids fluttered as she took a deep breath, and Tori grinned. "Thank you." She pressed a quick kiss to Jade's cheek and practically skipped out of the aisle, leaving Jade to mutter to herself.

Tori paid for her supplies, and they'd taken exactly two steps down the sidewalk before Jade demanded, "When is 'continuous' used in a scene heading?"

The quizzing continued for the entire drive back to Tori's house. When Tori got an answer right, Jade would just barrel on to the next one. No 'good job', or 'yes', or even 'correct'. But when Tori got an answer wrong, Jade would yank her hand away, refusing to let Tori hold it again until she got it right. And Tori had to admit, it was a very good reward system. Although it did make her think of some other, _better_, ways for Jade to reward her.

Jade was nodding to herself when they finally pulled up outside the Vega home. "Not bad," she gave Tori's hand a squeeze. "Maybe you're not as hopeless as I thought."

"I did good?" Tori grinned, bouncing a bit in her seat.

"You didn't fail," Jade said sternly. "That's not the same as doing 'good'."

Tori rolled her eyes and pulled Jade's hand into her lap. "You wanna come in for dinner?" She knew what the answer was going to be, but figured she'd offer anyway.

Jade's nose scrunched up and she shook her head. "Meals with Trina are a torture reserved for the seventh circle of Hell."

"Alright," Tori chuckled. "If you ever change your mind, though, you're more than welcome." Jade grunted out some sort of reply and nodded. Tori gave her hand a quick squeeze before letting it go. Jade slowly pulled it back to her own lap. "Thanks for the tutoring and taking me to the store." She started collecting her things, only to be stilled by Jade's hand on her arm. Tori turned questioning eyes on the girl next to her.

"We…" Jade swallowed roughly, her eyes darting around the interior of the car. Tori could only smile at how nervous she looked. "We're still on for Friday, right?"

Any doubt that Tori had about being a rebound, or the stupid kids at school was immediately erased. There was no way Jade could act the way she did, or say the things she did, if she didn't mean it. If Jade was going to be the center of anyone's attention, it was going to be Tori's. She leaned over and cupped her cheek, drawing Jade's eyes to hers. "We better be, _baby._"

A hesitant smile pulled at Jade's lips. And then Tori went and ruined the moment by bopping the tip of Jade's nose. "See you tomorrow!"

**AN I can't believe how many reviews this thing has. It's so close to 200, that's crazy! And it's got over a hundred favorites? I can't believe it, y'all are awesome, thank you so much!**

**As always, feel free to drop a review and let me know if you liked it. They're like wonderful presents that drive me to just write my little heart out for you guys. I've already started on the next chapter, so hopefully I'll get that up soon. See ya next time!  
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	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Same old story. Don't own nothin'.**

"Your blocking is all over the map! The only thing your scene will accomplish is making your fellow classmates dizzy." Sikowitz started shoving chairs out of the way, Jade casually moving her knees as he almost threw the one in front of her. "Make some room and run through it properly."

"I think Robbie just peed his pants?" Tori mused as the boy in question slowly lowered Rex to cover the front of his jeans.

"Rob," the puppet said slowly, "why is my butt wet?"

Jade's shoulders jerked, eyes quickly glancing up. "That kid's got a hard life in front of him. I'd almost feel bad if it wasn't so funny."

"And you two!" Sikowitz rounded, a finger thrust at Tori. "Why are you just sitting there? Performances are tomorrow and I haven't seen you do anything yet."

"We're still finalizing the script," Jade drawled, tilting the notebook in her lap slightly. It was a lie, and Tori glanced nervously at their teacher.

He looked at Tori. "But you'll be prepared?"

"Yes," Jade answered. Sikowitz glanced at her and then turned back to Tori, who nodded quickly. With a jerk of his head, he left to help another group.

Tori leaned closer to Jade, her eyes following their teacher as he wandered around the class. They were sitting by themselves in the corner, removed from the other students. "What cracked his coconut? He's being so serious."

"Who knows," Jade shrugged. "You excited for your new class?"

"I think I'm more nervous than excited," Tori replied. "Andre made it sound like it's a big deal to be in that class."

"That's because it is a big deal." Tori paled, like Jade's comment did nothing to calm her. So Jade bumped her knee against Tori's, a flash of concern in her eyes. "Seriously, you'll do great," she said gently. "Just doodle your little heart out and you'll be fine, baby."

Tori's eyes lit up as a blush brought some color back to her cheeks. Jade's heart skipped a beat when she realized that she had let the 'baby' slip without even the slightest trace of humor. It was so _easy_. For teasing to turn into sincerity. It was becoming a problem, because Jade was having a hard time reeling herself in. Words just kept slipping past her lips and Tori just kept smiling and Jade had no idea how to take it slow when Tori was looking at her the way that she was. All bright-eyed with her lips curved up in a hopeful smile like that. She didn't know how to handle it, because it was _too easy_.

"You think I'll do okay?" Tori asked quietly.

"Yeah," Jade smirked, quickly recovering, giving a small nod, "just keep drawing my beautiful face and there's no way you won't ace that class."

Tori chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "If I'd known that you were that easy, I would've shown you those doodles a long time ago. So what are you writing anyway?" She moved to take Jade's notebook, but Jade jerked it away.

"Like I said, I'm revising a script."

"But we're performing tomorrow!" Tori balked. "I already learned my lines!"

"Different script, Vega." Jade's pen drew a bracket around a chunk of dialogue. "Tomorrow will be fine as long as you don't mess it up." She made a note next to it, tilting the notebook away as Tori tried to peek at the words on the paper.

"Is that for a play?"

Jade looked at the page, clearly formatted for a movie, and sighed. "Maybe you are hopeless."

Tori folded her arms and sank in her seat as Jade smiled to herself. She really was cute when she got all huffy.

When the bell rang, Jade quickly packed her things up, keeping an eye on the other students. When no one was looking, she pressed a very quick kiss against Tori's cheek. "You'll do great," she whispered before pushing to her feet. She could feel Tori's eyes on her as she headed for the door.

She wanted to murder Andre during second period. He kept staring at her, blatantly, like she was some abstract painting that he just couldn't wrap his head around. Jade knew why. She knew that Tori would go and blab to him the first chance she got. And it wasn't that she minded, because she knew that eventually, if things progressed between them, their friends would have to find out. But she still wanted to take her pencil and jab it, pointy-end-first, into his eyeball. Just to stop the staring.

He finally looked away, only to slide his notebook across the table to her. Jade rolled her eyes as she looked at the paper.

_Tori told me. You cool?_

She pushed the notebook back, her eyebrows rising in a way that clearly told him to mind his own damn business, and he just shrugged and turned his attention back to their teacher. But when they were standing up at the end of class, he gently grabbed her elbow and said, "I'm your friend, too, if you ever need to talk." And before Jade could break his fingers for grabbing her, he let go and left.

Robbie walked into math wearing a different pair of pants, and Jade only made one comment about him wazzing himself. Rex actually defended Robbie, firing back about anyone peeing their pants out of fear when they saw Jade, and for once she didn't feel the need to mutilate the puppet. She just laughed. What kind of softie was she turning into?

Jade took a detour on the way to fourth period. It was totally out of the way, but she felt like she _had_ to do it. And once she reached the corridor that housed the art studios, she was glad she did. Because Tori was walking down the hallway looking like she was headed to her own execution. So Jade caught her eye and shot her a wink, and the beaming, relieved smile she received in return totally made up for the fact that she was two minutes late for class.

Sinjin leaned across his desk as she took her seat in theater history, and before he could say something creepy, she just snapped, "I will throw you off the roof." He slunk away and Jade smirked. Maybe she hadn't _totally_ lost her edge.

Before Jade could actually make it out to the table for lunch, she was grabbed by the wrist and dragged off to the janitor's closet. "Okay," she said as Tori closed the door behind them. "Why are we in here _this_ time?"

"So I could do this." Tori threw her arms around Jade's neck and pulled her in close. The force of the hug threw their balance, and Tori ended up slammed against the wall, Jade's hands braced against the cool cement blocks next to her sides. Jade blinked as Tori just tightened her grip, her nose buried in Jade's hair.

"Okay." Jade took a deep breath, inhaling more of Tori's scent than actual air. The way that Tori was hanging off her… The way their bodies were pressed together… It was making Jade dizzy. "And what's this for?" She still hadn't returned the hug. Her palms were pressed against the wall and she was trying, desperately, to retain control of herself.

Tori was making it difficult.

"I realized I didn't say 'thank you'. About the class thing." Tori's arms loosened, but didn't really move. If anything, the way her body eased down just made it worse, because Tori's hips were pressing into Jade's. Her fingers started playing with Jade's hair.

"I take it you _liked_ the new class?" Jade's voice came out a little huskier than she wanted it to. She could feel her control slipping away. It was like jumping off a swing. Just flinging yourself into the sky and hoping you didn't break anything when you landed.

Tori turned her face into Jade's neck, her nose grazing just below her ear as her warm breath feathered across Jade's skin. "_I loved it._"

"Fuck," Jade breathed, her eyes sliding closed.

"Thank you," Tori said softly. She pressed a light kiss to Jade's neck. Then her jaw. Then her cheek.

Jade turned her head, just barely, but that was all it took. It was an invitation, and Tori took it. Jade's fingers curled against the wall, needing something to hold on to, as Tori's lips pressed gently against hers, and all Jade could think was _fucking finally_.

The kiss was slow, and soft, and Jade couldn't actually bring herself to touch Tori, because if she did all her control would fly right out the door. But Tori's lips were so soft, and her fingers were rooted in Jade's hair, and every time their lips moved gently together the glow, the hum, between them grew and deepened and Jade's hands slid down the wall, fingertips pressing hard next to Tori's hips. Part of her was terrified that Tori would pull away, that it would all turn out to be a dream. That this moment she had been waiting for, for longer than she'd even realized, would be ripped away. Because they fit, in a way that Jade had never imagined anyone being able to. And it was _so easy_ to lose herself in Tori.

In the way Tori's hands slowly drifted, her fingertips leaving an electric wake as they trailed down her throat. Tori's hips pressing forward as she caught Jade's bottom lip between hers, drawing out a low moan. Tori's fingers brushing against Jade's cheek, soft and tender and _caring_. Tori's hands never left Jade's face, her neck, her hair. The contact was constant and Jade's head was swimming because she was so close to losing control.

"Fuck" she breathed, finally pulling away. And Tori's hands wrapped around the back of her neck, keeping their foreheads pressed together and gently stroking hair and skin at the nape of her neck. Jade's hands curled into fists, her knuckles scraping against the concrete wall. She could feel Tori's deep, gasping breaths against her skin, her own chest rising and falling heavier than normal, and wondered just how long they'd stayed like that. Just sharing gentle, languid kisses. Tori didn't say anything. She licked her lips and her nose brushed against Jade's cheek. "Fuck, Tori."

It was overwhelming. She'd made a wish once, on a shooting star, and that wish was so close to coming true. But everything that she'd experienced in her life told her that wishes didn't come true. That it was stupid to hope for something, because even if she got it, it would just fall apart. She pushed away from the wall, breaking Tori's embrace around her neck. "You can't just-" Jade's hands balled into fists and slowly uncurled at her side. "You can't-" She wanted to kiss Tori. She wanted to run. She wanted to lose control and just_ feel_ Tori, but she wanted to never see her again.

Tori's hands were everywhere. Her fingers were touching Jade's arm. Grazing her cheek. Running through her hair. Turning her head to meet her gaze. "Jade, talk to me."

"You can't just make it so _easy_." Jade tried to look away, but Tori's head dipped, keeping their eyes locked.

"Make _what_ easy? I don't understand."

Tori's hands were soft, but forceful, cupping her cheeks, and Jade couldn't actually look away. "It's so easy with you. But it was work with Beck. And it was work with them. It's supposed to be _hard_ but you make it _so easy_." She didn't even know what she was saying. Her heart was racing and her head was swimming and she was so fucking confused.

Understanding widened Tori's eyes, and something akin to pain flashed in them. If Jade hadn't been quite so emotional, she would have recognized it as heartbreak. "That's because I'm not Beck. And you aren't them." She pulled Jade into another hug, one hand resting on the back of her head while the other wrapped around her shoulders. Jade's hands hesitantly hovered over Tori's hips. She was expecting to fall apart. To lose all control of herself. With how cloudy Tori made her mind, it was the only outcome she could see. But Tori's chin settled on her shoulder, and her voice was strong, and sure of itself, when she said, "You aren't your parents, Jade. We aren't anything like them."

And Jade believed her. She always believed her. Jade's arms slid around Tori's waist and she let Tori hold her.

They stayed like that for way too long. An inappropriate amount of time, really, considering that neither of them said another word, and the only movement was Tori's hand gently rubbing Jade's back. But Jade kind of needed it. It was like it had been in Tori's backyard after they went to the beach. Another thing inside of Jade had cracked, and she needed Tori to hold the pieces together. She was trusting Tori, blindly and completely, to not let those pieces fall apart. To not let Jade fall apart. Her arms tightened around Tori's waist.

The warning bell rang and Tori still didn't move away. She just sighed and pulled Jade a little closer, like she was trying to force her own heart, which was pounding steadily, into the chasm of Jade's chest. And Jade couldn't help but think that maybe she needed it. Maybe she needed someone else's heart to beat in place of her own ruined one.

She had never felt so broken in her entire life. She hadn't realized the effect her parents had on her. Sure, she knew that she was a little fucked up because of it, that much was obvious, but she didn't comprehend the extent of it. It wasn't just breaches in her trust, or fissures in her heart. If Jade had been made of glass, she would have been a shattered pile of shards. For years.

She was clinging to Tori, desperately, and she hated it. The only saving grace was that she hadn't cried yet. It almost seemed like whatever was happening inside of her was so far outside her scope of emotions that she just _couldn't_ cry. Couldn't deal with it. So she clung even tighter, and forced herself to say, "I love you so much I don't know how to handle it."

Tori drew her in, impossibly closer, and whispered, "You've got all the time in the world to figure it out, because I'm not going anywhere."

And Jade believed her, because it was Tori. Tori who hadn't stopped calling, even when Jade stopped answering the phone. Tori who sat with her at lunch, even when Jade refused to acknowledge her existence. Tori who held all the broken pieces of Jade in her hands, and just waited, patiently, for Jade to put them back together. She didn't try to 'fix' Jade, but she'd occasionally pick a piece out of the pile and offer it up, as if she was saying, "Is this the one you're looking for? It looks like a good piece to me." And Jade loved her so much for that.

It didn't even matter that Tori didn't say she loved her back. Because it probably would have been too much, and Jade probably would have cried, and then they probably would have spent the entire day in the closet, trying to separate the pieces of Jade from the pieces of Tori because Jade would have ripped her to shreds. But Jade knew that Tori understood. And when Tori believed that Jade was ready to hear it, she would tell her how much she loved her, too.

And Jade couldn't wait until she finally heard it.

"Your drawing class was good?" She mumbled.

"Yeah," Tori sniffed, and Jade wondered if she was crying. "It was awesome."

"Did you draw me again?"

"Yeah. Only I drew you as a bowl of fruit, so no one except me would know it was you."

Jade let out a broken chuckle. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know," Tori laughed. It was wet and Jade cringed. Tori's heart was beating because Jade's couldn't do it properly, and Tori was now crying because Jade couldn't.

"I'm sorry about this," Jade murmured.

"Never apologize for your emotions, okay, Jade?"

"Okay."

"Okay." Tori nuzzled into her neck, and they didn't separate until their next class was almost over.

Jade wiped the tears from Tori's cheeks, cupping her face as she pressed a soft kiss against her lips. Tori wrapped her fingers around Jade's wrists, holding her hands in place, and smiled. "How bad do I look right now? From the crying?"

Jade shook her head, her gaze holding Tori's steadily. "You look beautiful. You _are_ beautiful."

Tori's smile grew a little wider. Her right hand slid up to Jade's left, taking her fingers between her own. "Ya big softie."

Jade rolled her eyes, letting their hands fall between them. "You're ruining my reputation, Vega."

"Okay, Jade." Tori's free hand wiped at her cheeks again. "We should get to class."

"There's probably like five minutes left."

"Then we should get to our _next_ class."

With a reluctant nod, Jade reached for the door, Tori's hand still held loosely in her own. They walked into the hallway, and Jade sent a smile at Tori. Which promptly fell as soon as she actually saw her in the harsh fluorescent lights. Because Tori was usually quite easy on the eyes, but she _had_ been crying.

"Oh man," Tori chuckled at the look on Jade's face. Her free hand lifted, her fingertips grazing just below her eyes. "How bad is it?"

"Well." A contemplative look settled across Jade's features. "Do you remember when Trina started middle school?"

"Uh-huh."

"And she met her hot, young, science teacher and decided she wanted to impress him?"

"Uh-huh," Tori said a little slower, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, you look like Trina when she tried to do her own make-up for the first time."

"Oh god!" Tori's laughter was borderline hysterical, and she squeezed Jade's hand. "Don't look at me. I'll see you in screenwriting!"

Jade chuckled as Tori took off down the empty corridor towards the bathroom. She thought, briefly, about following, but decided against it. She could handle five minutes alone without Tori. Jade hung out at her locker, waiting for the bell to ring. She'd run out of books to absently move around when it finally did. And she was earlier than she'd ever been to her screenwriting class.

Tori strolled in a minute later and took her seat. The dripping mascara had been washed away, and some of the puffiness in her eyes had gone down. "Better?" She asked with a small smile.

And Jade couldn't stop herself from returning it. "Perfect. Now pay attention for once because I will not allow my tutoree to fail."

Tori rolled her eyes, her elbow settling on the edge of her desk with her chin in her palm. "Yes, _baby_."

It was a joke. Totally. But it still sparked a white hot flame deep in Jade that had her fidgeting in her seat for the entire class.

Jade was gathering her homework at the end of the day, her head practically buried in her locker, when a hand settled on the small of her back. "You're okay, right?" Tori asked softly. "About before?"

"Yeah," Jade leaned back, Tori's arm settling around her waist. "It's no big deal."

"Okay, because if you need to talk about it more-" Tori's fingers grazed her hip as she pulled her arm back.

"I'm fine," Jade cut her off gently. "Really."

"Alright. But I'm here for you."

Every inch of Tori was earnest, and Jade's lips curved into a sincere smile. "I know." Tori's face lit up, and she looked like she was about to throw herself on top of Jade in another ridiculous hug. So Jade lifted a hand in warning. "No hugging. There's been too much of it already today."

Tori rolled her eyes, but let out a light chuckle. "Fine, I'll try to contain myself."

"Good luck with that," Jade muttered, closing her locker.

"Do you maybe wanna hang out for a bit?" When Jade just raised a questioning brow, Tori quickly clarified. "My parents are working late and Trina's got an audition for some game show in San Diego."

"So," Jade adjusted the strap of her bag, "you want me to come over. To your empty house."

"Yeah?" Tori's eyebrows twisted in confusion. The girl really didn't get it.

"Where we will be _alone_. For several hours? You really suck at following your own 'hands off' rule," Jade smirked as it finally clicked and Tori started sputtering.

"I just meant that we could work on Sikowitz's scene," she insisted, "since it's tomorrow and we haven't run through it even once."

"I don't think we should rehearse it," Jade sighed. "It'll be better if it's a little awkward, a little improvised. Our reactions will be more believable that way."

"Oh," Tori's face fell, and the blush that had been creeping up her cheeks faded in disappointment. "Okay. Well-"

"But we can hang out." Jade shrugged and started walking towards the door, not bothering to check if Tori was following her, because Jade knew she would be. "You can show me that picture of me as a fruit bowl."

Tori didn't stop smiling the entire drive to her house. It was light, and peaceful, like she didn't even realize it was there. Like it was just a natural reaction whenever she was in Jade's presence. It compounded with the memory of Tori's arms around her earlier that day, and a strange tension spread through Jade. "I didn't realize," she said quietly, "just how fucked up they'd made me. How much they broke me."

Tori's head turned slightly, her eyes settling on the dashboard. "You aren't broken, though."

"No," a dry, humorless laugh escaped Jade, "I'm broken."

"Okay, and so what if you are?" Tori's held her hand out in the space between them and Jade instinctively reached to take it. "Let's say that you're _broken_," Jade didn't take her eyes off the road, but she could _hear _Tori's eyes roll in disbelief, "that just means that you can put yourself back together again. You can take all your _broken_ pieces and fit them together how you want them to be. How you want yourself to be. So maybe it's not a bad thing, if you're broken, which you're totally not."

"Reassuring," Jade chuckled.

"No. Okay." Tori pulled her leg up on the seat, turning to face Jade. "Mosaics are these beautiful pieces of art, right?"

Jade shrugged. "They're alright."

"And what are they made up of?" Tori plowed on. "Pieces of glass. Or tile or stone or whatever. The point is," she drew Jade's hand into her lap as they stopped at a red light, "that an artist took _broken_ pieces, looked at them, and saw something else. Something new. And you're an artist, Jade." Jade's gaze flickered between the road and Tori's eyes. "So if you really think that you're broken, then make yourself new."

Jade had a lot of doubts. About herself, and her control, and her ability to actually end up as anything other than the miserable woman her mother had turned out to be. But she really wanted to be the person that Tori believed she was. "What if I can't?"

"You can." Tori wrapped her other hand around the back of Jade's. "You've already started." They just looked at each other for a long moment, some unknown emotion dancing in Tori's eyes, like she knew what thoughts were passing through Jade's mind. "You might get knocked on your ass, but I'll always help you back up. As long as you let me. As long as you need me."

"I'll always need you."

"I'll always be here."

The car behind them honked and Jade's foot lurched off the brake pedal. She shouted some obscenities at the window, yanking her hand away from Tori to throw up her middle finger. Tori pawed at the air, trying to calm Jade down as she continued driving down the street. And then she took Jade's hand again.

And Jade thought that, yeah, she could be a mosaic. She didn't need to be the person she'd been with Beck. Because that person was a closed-off bitch. But maybe she _could_ be the person that Tori saw her as. She could still be made up of all the same pieces that she always had been, they would just form a different picture. That thought, and Tori's satisfied smile, alleviated her tension. Jade could be her own artist.

They arrived at Tori's house and went straight up to her room, like they'd always done. Jade reclined against Tori's headboard, digging through her messenger bag for her homework before dropping it on the floor. Tori plopped her sketchbook and pencils down by Jade's feet before lying down next to her. "My homework," Tori said excitedly, flipping it open, "is to draw. How cool is that?" Jade just smiled at the giddy look on her face as Tori turned to a blank page. "Mr. Macey wants me to do a bunch of stuff, just to catch up on what I've missed so far. He says my shading needs some work."

"Mr. Macey's fucking blind," Jade grumbled immediately.

Tori glanced over her shoulder and grinned. "You upset that he didn't take one look at the pictures of you and say they were the greatest things he'd ever seen?"

"Well he'd be an idiot not to think that. A blind idiot."

Tori just chuckled, shaking her head. "So modest." She picked a pencil up and turned her attention back to the paper.

They worked in silence for a while, the only sound being Jade turning a page in her math book, or Tori's pencil scratching across the thick paper. Tori tapped Jade's leg, turning her sketchbook at an angle so Jade could see what she was doing. "Does that look like a tree?"

"No, it looks like a motorcycle," Jade deadpanned. "Is that the big tree in the park that you were always too scared to climb?" Tori just nodded, her lower lip caught between her teeth. "It's good."

"You don't think it-"

"Tori, if I could tell _exactly _what tree it was, it's fucking good."

Tori smiled and returned to sketching, and Jade turned back to her math work. Almost an hour had passed, and Jade had moved on to her reading for theater history, when Tori sighed and shuffled around, lying on her back, with her head in Jade's lap.

"Hey, Jade?" Tori's hand snaked up, gently prying one of Jade's hands from the textbook.

Jade adjusted her grip on the book so it didn't fall on Tori's face, and then let her lace their fingers together. She took a deep breath as their joined hands settled on Tori's stomach. "Yeah?"

"We're… I mean…" Tori released Jade's hand and slowly eased her fingers open, until they were splayed across her stomach. Jade's breath hitched and she placed her book down on Tori's bedside table. "I…" Tori licked her lips, staring down at her fingers tracing across Jade's skin.

Jade's other hand wove into Tori's hair, and she smiled when she realized that Tori would, in fact, fucking melt _every _time she did that. "You what, baby?"

A smile twitched across Tori's lips. "I was wondering if… I mean, we're… like… cool… right?"

Jade didn't even bother to answer that question, because she knew it wasn't the question Tori really wanted to ask. "What's wrong?"

Tori sighed. "It feels like we're doing stuff all out of order."

Jade's fingers twitched on Tori's stomach, and the muscles tensed underneath her hand as Tori inhaled sharply. "That's because we are."

"Yeah. We haven't even done level one stuff, and we're already at like level seven."

An amused smirk tugged at Jade's lips. "You have levels?"

Tori's eyes met Jade's, embarrassment staining her cheeks. "No?"

"That was convincing."

Tori rolled her eyes, her fingertips sliding up and down Jade's hand on her stomach. "I mean, I might have, when I was younger, and had my first boyfriend, maybe, developed a system."

"Uh-huh," Jade turned her hand over, capturing one of Tori's with her own. "And what's level one?"

"Y'know," Tori's eyes slid closed as Jade's right hand continued to play with her hair, "the flirting and stuff."

"Well, I think we've accomplished level one, _baby_."

Tori let out a light chuckle. "Okay, but level two, then. We've got our first date tomorrow."

It seemed like Tori wanted Jade to answer, or acknowledge it in some way, so she nodded. "Yes, we do."

"But earlier, in the janitor's closet," Tori's eyes slowly opened, her gaze questioning as she looked up at Jade, "that was like level five stuff."

Tori considered _that _level five, but thought they were at seven? Jade swallowed thickly. "So what's level seven, then?"

Jade's hand stilled in Tori's hair. Tori's gaze never broke as she took Jade's left hand from her stomach and slowly trailed it up her torso, bringing it to rest on her chest. Right above where her heart was. "It just feels strange. That we're here already, and like… going back to try and make up for all the stuff we skipped. I just want to know how you feel about it all."

"Honestly? Terrified."

"Do you," Tori flattened her hand over Jade's, "do you think it'll feel different once we do? More real?"

Jade blinked slowly. She could feel Tori's heart pounding under her hand and it was distracting. But using Tori's ridiculous system, they had gone from zero to seven in a very short period of time. Like it was just a video game that they'd plugged a cheat code into. They'd skipped ahead in the game and were a little lost, like they'd missed important parts of the exposition and were suddenly faced with a boss fight. They were just fumbling at the controls and trying not to do anything that resulted in a screen that read 'Game Over'. "Maybe?"

"Does it feel real to you?"

Jade paled, because she realized what Tori was _actually _saying, even though she wasn't voicing it. It didn't feel real to her. Was that why she wanted to go slow? In case it turned out that… God, Jade couldn't even think of that possibility.

Tori's hand lifted, her fingertips brushing across Jade's cheek. They moved to Jade's forehead and she sat up a little, smoothing out the crease in Jade's brow. "This feels like the best dream I've ever had, and I'm scared to wake up in case that's all it is."

"It's not a dream." Jade shook her head. She remembered being a kid, Tori holding onto her arm as a shooting star raced across the sky. No, it wasn't a dream. It was a wish coming true. Finally.

She hadn't meant to say it out loud. She didn't even realize that she had until she felt the breath leaving her lungs, carrying the confession past her lips and out into the open.

Tori shifted. She was on her knees, her hands cupping Jade's face, her eyes searching Jade for something, although she didn't know what. Jade held her gaze, and then Tori closed the space between them.

Tori's entire body sank into the kiss. She melted against Jade, and Jade could only wrap her arms around Tori's waist, hoping to god that neither of them actually turned to liquid before she got the chance to really enjoy it. Tori's fingers tangled in the soft hair at the back of Jade's neck as she pushed forward, a small, humming moan in Tori's throat igniting something inside of Jade.

Electricity sparked the air between them. It burned across Jade's neck, leaving a glowing trail under the skin as Tori's fingers dragged slowly down her throat. Jade's hands slid down Tori's sides, settling on her hips as her lips moved more fervently against the brunette's. It felt so fucking right. They felt so fucking right, and Jade's head swam with the realization that it came so naturally. Touching Tori, kissing Tori, was like instinct. Like they were always meant to be doing what they were doing. It made sense. And as Tori surged forward, swinging her left leg across Jade's lap, it made perfect sense. They fit. Tori was kissing her like it was the only thing she had ever known, and Jade's hands were exploring the body beneath them like they'd memorized the motions years ago.

"Jesus," Jade breathed as Tori's mouth drifted, her lips following the trail of her fingers down the expanse of Jade's throat. "Fucking," Jade hissed as Tori brought her lips to Jade's ear. Tori captured Jade's earlobe between her teeth and gave a sharp tug. "Christ."

"Too much?" Tori's lips brushed against the curl of Jade's ear.

"Not enough," She growled, turning her head to reclaim Tori's mouth. Tori's lips stretched into a smile beneath Jade's.

The room was quiet except for the soft sound their lips made as they moved against each other, and the small gasp that escaped Tori when Jade's hands slid down, giving her ass a firm squeeze. Tori's hips rolled, her core pressing down against Jade's lap, and the movement seemed to surprise both of them as they broke apart.

"Too much," Tori breathed, placing her hands on Jade's shoulders.

"Yeah." Jade didn't particularly want to break contact, so she slid her hands down Tori's thighs, letting them rest there as Tori's eyelids fluttered.

Tori's fingers dug into Jade's shoulders, scrunching up the fabric of her shirt. "Fuck."

"Watch your fucking language." Jade nipped at Tori's lower lip.

Tori's mouth pulled into a lazy grin, her hands smoothing Jade's shirt against her collarbone. "Look who's talking."

Jade's hands were gliding up and down Tori's thighs. "Does it feel real yet?"

Tori's grin settled into a genuine smile, her eyes lit up as they traced the features of Jade's face. "Yeah." She cupped Jade's head in her hands, letting her thumbs brush along Jade's jaw. "Dream come true."

Jade could feel the blood pounding in her veins. It was a frantic beat, like the drums in one of the songs on her 'Murder Time' playlist. But Tori's hand curled against her jugular, like she could feel it, too, and her fingertips traced along the line, stroking it and gently bringing it down to something calmer. It made sense that Tori would be the reason for Jade's heart to pound. And it was fitting that Tori was the one to tame it, the wild fluttering in her chest slowly steadying out.

Jade had to wonder if every kiss was going to feel different. Because this one was a little more tentative. She forced her hands to stay still against Tori's thighs, fingers digging into the denim of her jeans from the effort, as Tori's lips pulled across her own. Jade could take this slow. She could let Tori be the pace car, and just follow her lead. She could. She could keep this at like, a level three, maybe four. She didn't know how Tori's system worked, but she knew that _more_ was probably at like six. And she could control herself. She could jump up and down from level to level like a champ, because she knew that they'd get there in time.

She had no idea how long they stayed like that, Tori straddling Jade's hips as they just shared gentle, languid kisses. Tori's hands seemed to have permanently rooted themselves in Jade's hair, tugging occasionally, and Jade didn't mind in the slightest. It felt right, and ridiculously fucking good, and she never wanted to stop.

But an annoyingly loud, excruciatingly upbeat song started blaring from somewhere and Tori pulled away. "That's my phone," she said as she started to climb off Jade.

"Fuck it." Jade grabbed Tori's waist and held her in place.

Tori rolled her eyes with a smile and placed a quick, far too chaste kiss against Jade's lips. "It might be my parents."

Jade's eyes narrowed but she let Tori get up. Tori bent down to grab her bag, and Jade just kind of watched, smirking as Tori dug around in it. She paused, like she could feel Jade's eyes on her. She glanced over her shoulder, not bothering to straighten up. "Enjoying the view?"

"Maybe. A little," Jade grinned.

Tori chuckled as she pulled her phone out, finally straightening up and ruining Jade's fun. Without looking at it, she swiped her thumb across the screen and held it up to her ear. "Hello?" She broke into a grin. "Oh, hey, Andre, what's up?"

"I'm gonna kill that boy," Jade grumbled, moving to stand up like she planned on hunting him down right then and there.

Tori swiftly stepped forward, placing her hand on Jade's shoulder and shoving her back against the headboard. "No, I'm not busy." Jade's eyes widened and she mouthed 'Seriously?' Tori wrapped her free arm around Jade's neck and eased down, sitting on her lap. Jade huffed, but her arms snaked around Tori's waist instinctively. Dammit. "Well, what movie does Cat want to see?" Jade rolled her eyes and let her forehead slam against Tori's shoulder. Tori's hand buried itself in Jade's hair, cradling her head in the crook of her arm. Seriously? It was bad enough that Tori took a call in the middle of their… _activities_, but was she seriously considering going out to see a movie instead of spending time with just Jade? "Really?" Tori sat up excitedly. "Oh, I wanna see that one so bad!"

That was it. Final straw. Jade grabbed the phone from Tori, who squeaked out a protest, and shoved it against her own ear. "'Dre, I am going to skin you alive with a cheese grater, bake you into a lasagna, and feed you to your grandmother."

"J-Jade?"

Jade couldn't even revel in the joy of how scared he sounded. She just hit the 'End Call' button and threw the stupid phone onto the bed. "Jade!" Tori leaned away, reaching for her phone.

"Relax," Jade tightened her hold. "It's fine. Think about our scene for Sikowitz."

Tori froze, one hand trying to push at Jade's shoulder while the other stretched out for her phone. "Our…"

"Scene for Sikowitz," Jade finished, her mouth tilting into a smirk.

Tori's eyes slowly pulled to Jade's, who just nodded as Tori grinned. "Oh, that's a genius idea."

"I do have them from time to time." Jade shrugged, like it was no big deal as Tori eased back against her. "Besides, would you _really_ rather spend the evening listening to Cat squeal at some stupid movie than hang out here with me?" Tori's gaze drifted to the ceiling, her lips pursed in a contemplative pout. "It was a rhetorical question, Vega."

"I was just messin' with ya." Tori broke into a smile and leaned over to grab Jade's theater history book off her table. "What did you guys cover this morning? I missed my class when…" She paused, glancing nervously at Jade.

"Yeah." Jade cleared her throat. They may have taken the class at different periods, but they covered the same material. And then the kissing and Jade's little break-down in the janitor's closet had made Tori miss hers. "Page seventy-three. We started the segment on performance art."

Tori cracked the book open and started flipping through the pages. When she found the right chapter, she scooted off Jade's legs and curled into her side instead. She placed the book on Jade's lap and tapped the page. "Read." Jade rolled her eyes, bent one knee up and adjusted the book so she could actually see the words on the page. And then she started reading it aloud as she wrapped her arm around Tori's shoulders.

It had grown dark outside by the time they finished the rest of their homework. A quick glance at the clock told Tori that either Trina or her parents would be getting back soon, and Jade took it as her cue to leave. "You ready for tomorrow?" Jade asked as they drew to a stop by Tori's front door.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Just remember your lines and you'll be fine."

Tori smiled, taking a small step closer. "Are _you_ ready for tomorrow?" She questioned.

Jade knew that Tori was talking about their date, trying to make sure they were still on the same page. The idea that they _wouldn't_ be, especially after everything that happened earlier, was ridiculous, and the slight glimmer of nervousness in Tori's eyes set Jade's heart racing. "Yeah. Totally," she murmured.

Tori leaned in, capturing Jade's lips in a sweet, slow kiss that ended before Jade could even wrap her head around the fact that she had kissed Tori. _A lot_. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah." She cleared her throat with a nod. "See ya."

It wasn't unusual for Jade to return to an empty house. More often than not, she was alone there. So it wasn't strange that she pulled up to a dark house and an empty driveway. There was something taped to the inside of the front door, the ghostly white envelope standing out starkly in the darkness, and Jade plucked it off without a second glance. She took the money from her dad and went up to her room, not even bothering to turn on any lights until she got to her room, and then it was just her small desk lamp. The house should be dark. No one really lived there. Her mom passed through, occasionally towing some stranger in her wake, and Jade didn't consider it her home. It was just a house. A building. A place for Jade to rest her head at night, and nothing more. A temporary living space until she found somewhere permanent to call home.

She lied down on her bed, grazing her thumb absently across her bottom lip. She could still feel Tori's lips. Still taste the sweetness in her kiss. Jade remembered the sincerity, the force, in Tori's words when she told her that she wasn't her parents. That she and Tori were nothing like them. Jade licked her lips, settling her hand on the flat plane of her stomach. They could be different. They _were_ different. Jade didn't have to end up bitter and broken and alone like her mother. She didn't have to end up distant and heartless and cruel like her father. She could be the Jade that Tori believed her to be, simply because she wanted to. She wanted to be good enough for Tori because… because Tori was safe. Tori was permanent. Tori felt like a home.

When she fell asleep, Jade dreamed of a blanket made of stars, and when she woke up in the morning, she glowed with the hum of fireflies coming to life.

She strutted into school like she owned the damn place, because she felt like she could conquer the world. Andre was standing next to Tori's locker while Tori got her books out, and Jade shot him the most dangerous look she could muster. He visibly shrank, tugging on Tori's arm and Jade smirked at the fear in his eyes as she marched over to her own locker.

She spun her combination, eyebrow arched at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Hey, Jade," Tori hesitantly greeted, her hand rising slightly. Jade screwed a scowl on her face. Showtime.

"Vega, I know you don't think you can _actually_ talk to me right now."

A heavy sigh. "Please, can't we just-"

"No!" Jade rounded, catching a glimpse of Andre and Cat staring at them from across the hall. "We can't _anything_!"

"Why are you being like this?" Tori squared her shoulders, her voice growing in strength and Jade was aware of several classmates slowing down to watch their argument. "You won't even give me a chance to explain!"

"There's nothing to explain! You go ahead and do whatever the fuck it is you want, Vega, because I," she took a step forward, "don't," she leaned into Tori's face, and to her credit she didn't even flinch, "care!"

By now students were stopped, openly staring at the two of them. Tori's eyes narrowed. "Oh, you care. You wouldn't be so pissed off if you didn't care!"

Jade snapped her attention to a random kid gaping at them. "Hey, you! Do I look like I fucking care what she does?"

His eyes darted nervously between Jade and Tori, before settling on the former. "No?"

"See! Even that twerp knows I don't give a shit!"

"Ah, Jade," Sikowitz rounded the corner, "I thought I heard your melodic voice. Why are you torturing Tori so early in the morning?"

Jade rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her stomach as Tori took a small step away. "Because she's being a gank."

"_I'm _being a gank?" Tori screeched. "You're the gankiest gank this side of Northridge!"

"Oh yeah?!" Jade's arms slammed to her sides.

"Yeah!"

"Show's over!" Sikowitz announced, shooing the spectators away. "Hurry along to your respective rooms of education and get your knowledge on." The crowd that had formed around them slowly started to disperse, students trying to catch one last glimpse of the fight before heading off. Sikowitz turned back to the fuming girls and clicked his fingers to get their attention. "Do I need to get Lane involved in this, or can you two be civil?"

"Oh, I'll be civil," Tori seethed. "I'll be so civil she'll-"

"Ah! _ Tori_," He said warningly. "Go to class."

Tori shot Jade one last look of loathing before stomping off down the corridor, Andre and Cat running after her.

"Jade," Sikowitz said slowly, only for Jade to huff and interrupt.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. 'Be professional'."

"That's right. Personal prejudices go out the window as soon as a job starts. Now," he motioned for her to follow him, "to class."

Jade shadowed him to the classroom, making sure to grumble unintelligibly the entire way. She flopped into her usual seat, shooting daggers at the back of Tori's head. Andre cast a nervous glance over his shoulder before leaning over and whispering something to Tori, who spun in her seat. "What?"

"Children!" Sikowitz clapped his hands once, loudly. "Be professional!" Tori turned back to the front of the class as Sikowitz pointed to a random boy. "Eli, Mark, you're up."

A few students performed their scenes, while Jade sat with her arms folded, daring anyone to so much as look at her. The few who did immediately shrank away in fear at the glares they received. Half the class had passed before Sikowitz made eye contact with Jade.

"Jade, Tori," He jerked a thumb towards the stage, "you're up. No murder."

Both girls stood up, but Tori grabbed Jade's arm as she passed and whispered something in her ear.

"What?" Jade's eyes grew wide as she spun around. "You can't switch characters at the last minute! We're supposed to be performing _right now_."

"Well, why can't I be your character? You have all the best lines!"

"Seriously?" Jade's eyes were wild and Tori shrugged in response. "Unbelievable. You're ridiculous. Just," Jade turned back towards the front of the class and waved Tori away, "shut up and let's get started."

"Oh, keep telling me to shut up and _I will ruin you_," Tori muttered darkly, eyes narrowing as she headed to the stage.

"I hate you _so _much," Jade growled, stomping up the steps of the stage. "I hate you and if you make me fail this assignment-"

"Oh, you hate me? _You_ hate _me_? Well I hate you more!" Tori thrust a finger in Jade's chest.

Jade's head recoiled, her face screwing up in disgust. "_Never_ touch me." She glanced at Sikowitz, who was just watching them intently. "Just play your part, like the _good girl _you are, so we can be finished with this stupid assignment and go back to not speaking."

"Yo, Jade," Andre started to stand up.

"No!" Tori screamed, jabbing a finger in his direction, causing him to sit back down quickly. "I don't need your help!" She wheeled back to Jade and shook her head. "I don't even know why I agreed to do this assignment with you in the first place. You are so… _so_…" She threw her hands up and just screamed.

Jade shrugged and folded her arms. "Feeling's mutual," she mumbled, looking completely indifferent, like the argument wasn't even the slightest bit upsetting.

Tori shot her an annoyed look, mimicking her stance. "Whatever. You wanna do the scene so bad, just start the scene already."

Jade unfolded her arms and took a deep breath. She tossed her hair over her shoulder as a smug grin crept onto her lips. Tori just continued to glare, eyebrows drawn and eyes narrowed, like Jade was the most frustrating thing she'd ever encountered in her life and she couldn't wait to get away from her.

And then Sikowitz erupted in applause.

Jade relaxed as Tori started jumping up and down next to her. "I can't believe he got it!" She must have known she looked like Cat, but she really didn't seem to care. She threw her arms around Jade, who just pushed her off with a slightly annoyed chuckle.

"I told you he would."

"Oh, that was a surprise indeed!" Their teacher continued to clap, and a few students slowly joined in, but most of them just looked totally lost.

"Wait," Andre spun in his seat, desperately trying to find someone who knew what the hell was going on, "what just happened?"

Sikowitz threw a hand out, indicating the girls still standing at the front of the class. "They performed their scene!"

"What?" Cat's head tilted.

"I don't get it," Beck shrugged.

"Tori and Jade," Sikowitz stood up and slowly walked to the stage, "picked Anger and Loathing. What you just saw was their non-murdery interpretation of those emotions. Good job on not killing your partner this time, by the way," Sikowitz threw over his shoulder. Jade just nodded as he continued. "It was certainly a bit different from how most of you have interpreted the assignment. And I rather enjoyed it!"

"So," Andre said slowly, "your scene was just an argument about your scene?"

"Yep!" Tori clasped her hands together.

"And, that fight in the hallway this morning…?" Beck ventured.

"Was set-up for the scene." Jade spread her arms, indicating the stage.

Cat shook her head slowly. "I don't get it."

"Well I did," Sikowitz announced, hopping up next to Jade, "and that's what matters. Good job, both of you. Back to your seats."

Jade and Tori walked and skipped, respectively, back to their seats. Tori was giddy for the rest of class, and Jade kept rolling her eyes. Every so often, Tori would spin in her chair, just to shoot a gleeful smile at Jade. And Jade just raised a hand, her finger pointing at the ground as she rotated it slowly, silently telling Tori to turn around and pay attention. Which she would, with an ear-to-ear grin splitting her face.

"Man," Andre sighed as he walked with Jade to second period, "I really thought that y'all had a fight or somethin' last night after, well," he glanced at her nervously, "y'know. The lasagna thing."

"It's called _acting_," Jade supplied with a smirk.

Andre's mouth fell open in shock. "You planned that, too? Threatening me with a cheese grater?"

"Oh, no," Jade's head pulled back, a serious look settling on her features as they walked into their songwriting class. "If you ever interrupt us again, I will murder you in a hundred different, very creative, ways."

Andre paused next to their table, his mouth in a tight line. "Right. Okay." And Jade could tell, from the look in his eyes, that he was torn between imaging what kind of torture Jade would inflict, and what, exactly, he had 'interrupted'.

"Don't be gross," Jade said with a smirk, "Tori's your friend and I could hurt you."

"Yeah." He nodded, slipping into his seat. "Totally. It's gross." He cleared his throat. "Disgusting."

"Seriously, 'Dre." An almost sympathetic smile settled on Jade's lips as she rested her hand on his shoulder. "I'll fucking murder you."

When lunch rolled around, Jade was the first one outside. She grabbed some fries from the Grub Truck and claimed the gang's usual table, dropping her messenger bag by her feet. Cat was next, bouncing up to the table and plopping down next to Jade.

"So are you not mad at Tori anymore?"

"I wasn't mad at her to begin with," Jade explained. "It was all for the scene, kitten."

She nodded slowly, her fingers playing with the ends of her hair. "So you _like_ Tori?"

"Yeah," Jade said slowly, eyeing her suspiciously, "why?"

"Like…" Cat's eyebrows lifted. "You _like _like Tori?"

Jade's eyes narrowed. "I'll ask again. Why?"

"Well yesterday Tori had that smile like my brother gets-"

"The one when he sets fires?" Jade questioned.

"Mmhmm. And she said it wasn't 'cause of a boy, and I thought that maybe it was 'cause of a girl." She poked Jade's side. "'Cause of a _you_."

"And why would you think that?" Jade turned slightly in her seat. Cat was ditzy, but she wasn't really as dumb as she acted sometimes. It still caught Jade by surprise, though, when she was _actually_ observant.

"Well, you're nice to her."

"Who's Jade nice to?" Tori walked up to the table, placing a can of Wahoo punch down in front of Jade as she sat on her other side.

Cat's eyes widened. "It is 'cause of a you!" She squealed, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Yay! I knew it!"

Tori turned confused eyes on Jade, who sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I guess it's too late to deny anything now. Thanks, _Vega_." Jade pointedly grabbed the can and opened it rather aggressively.

"Uh…" Tori glanced at Cat, who was somehow managing to sway in her seat. "You're welcome?"

"I was being sarcastic," Jade grumbled.

"Then you are _not_ welcome?" Tori ventured instead.

"What are you ladies talkin' about?" Andre set his food down next to Tori and threw a leg over the bench.

"I have no idea," Tori answered honestly.

Cat giggled and leaned across Jade, whispering to Andre even though everyone could hear her. "Jade's got a crush."

"It is not a crush," Jade snapped. "And what the hell, Cat?!"

"Oh," Tori breathed slowly. "Cat figured it out?"

"Well apparently you grinning like an idiot is kind of a dead giveaway."

"I don't grin like an idiot," Tori protested.

"Yeah, you do," Andre said.

"Totally," Cat agreed, quickly turning shocked eyes onto Andre. "Wait, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I was the first to know."

"Well," Tori held a finger up to stop him, "not the first." She gestured between herself and Jade.

"Okay, well, third then."

"Um," Tori's face scrunched up.

"Tor!" Andre's hand flew to his chest. "I thought we were bros! Amigos! Compadres! How was I not the first to find out?"

"I live with Trina," Tori whined. "She sees stuff."

Andre shook his head slowly, looking offended. "Well," he huffed, "I _never_."

Jade threw her hands in the air, seeing Robbie and Beck approaching. "Can this insanity circus pack up and leave town, please?"

"Oh, my brother went to the circus one time, but he's not allowed back after what happened to the lion tamer."

Beck hesitated, casting a strange glance around the table while Robbie just eased down next to Cat. "What lion tamer?" Beck asked.

Cat immediately burst into the story, and Jade was glad for the distraction. She didn't really want to try and explain to Beck the conversation that had been taking place moments before he sat down. Because she wouldn't even know how to explain it. She didn't know how to tell him that she and Tori were… at Level Seven. She mused over not telling him at all, _ever_, but knew that would never work. He was bound to find out eventually. Especially if Tori continued to steal fries from Jade's tray like it wasn't normally a murderable offence. Jade swatted her hand away, causing Tori to gasp. Jade just slowly pulled her fries closer, never breaking eye contact with Tori. "Mine."

Tori's mouth fell open. "_Well_." She reached over and grabbed the punch, pulling it close to her chest. "_Mine_."

Jade's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Vega."

"_West_," Tori mocked.

Cat continued to prattle on, seeming oblivious to the silent showdown happening next to her. Jade could feel the other occupants of the table's eyes on them, but she'd be damned if she was going to back down first. Tori's eyebrow arched, and Jade saw it. The first crack. The muscles in Tori's neck twitched, like she was fighting laughter. Jade turned to her fries, leaned over them, and stuck her tongue out to blow a raspberry, spit flying all over her food.

Tori's lips twitched, and she stuck her own tongue out, running it all over the opening of the can. Jade cocked a brow and pushed the fries in front of Tori at the same moment Tori set the can back down on the table.

"Totally disgusting," Andre mumbled to himself, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Seriously, dude?" Jade barked. There was no way he thought that exchange was in any way sexual.

"I'm just a man!" He screamed defensively, jumping out of his seat to run off.

"What…" Beck stared at them as Cat finally stopped talking, "what the hell was that?"

Tori picked a fry off the tray and pointed at what remained of Andre's lunch. "Bad burrito?" She popped the fry into her mouth as Jade took a sip of punch. Beck turned to Robbie for some sort of answer, but the curly-haired boy just shrugged.

"My brother thought he ate a bad burrito once," Cat said seriously, casting a dark look around the table, "but it turned out that it wasn't a burrito."

Jade's head landed on the table with a resounding _thump_.

She'd _just _sat down in screenwriting when a note appeared on the edge of her desk. Jade slid her bag off her shoulder, taking her time with getting her notebook and pencil out before unfolding the note from Tori.

_Your presence is kindly requested_

Oh god. Jade rolled her eyes. She could _hear _the giggles in the feminine slant of Tori's writing.

_kindly requested at Casa de Vega at promptly seven o'clock this evening. All you have to bring is comfortable shoes and your beautiful face._

Jade glanced at Tori out of the corner of her eye as attendance was taken. She wrote a response.

**Seriously? Casa de Vega? And why the shoes?**

_Romance, remember, Jade? Just be there. I've got a plan._

**It better involve a shovel, abandoned woods, and Trina's unconscious body.**

_Please. I don't let anyone bury my sister alive until the third date._

**Third date? Jeeze, have a little self-respect. I wouldn't do it until at least the fourth. Actually, scratch that. I would bury Trina alive on the first date. Now fucking pay attention so you don't fail.**

_You could always tutor me some more._

Jade refused to answer her, a satisfied smirk tilting her lips as Tori actually managed to pay attention for once.

In the parking lot after school, Tori shot Jade the biggest, goofiest grin she'd ever seen in her life. Jade returned it with a small smile and shake of her head, and Tori climbed into her sister's car with a laugh. That girl was ridiculous.

Jade didn't have much homework for the weekend, so she tore through it relatively quickly once she got back to her once-again-empty house, pausing only to glance at the clock every so often. At five-thirty she jumped in the shower. She took a little longer than normal to do her hair afterwards, because it _was _a first date, and even if she had to wear 'comfortable' shoes, she could still look good. So she put a little more effort into her make-up, as well.

She slipped her phone and some money into the pocket of her jeans and put her combat boots on, because they had the lowest heels and if Tori was taking her on some weird, stupid nature hike they'd be her best bet. Either for hiking or for kicking Tori's ass for bringing her on some weird, stupid nature hike. She pulled on her leather jacket and headed downstairs, jumped the last step and landed with a heavy thud. She took a moment, a quick minute, to collect herself.

It was okay if things with Tori were easy, because they'd always been easy. And maybe the fact that it had been hard with Beck, that it had been hard for her parents, just meant that she and Tori would be okay. Because hard didn't work out. And maybe easy would. Maybe Tori would.

They'd been friends. They'd been acquaintances. They'd been strangers, briefly. They could be whatever they were going to be next, and as Jade rolled her shoulders and opened her front door, she had a fair idea of what that was. What she wanted that to be.

**AN: Hey, sorry about the delay in updating this. I really planned on getting it out sooner, but Real Life got in the way a lil bit. But I hope the Jori Action in this chapter made up for the wait :)**

**As always, thank you for the reviews and favorites and such, because they are totally amazeballs, and y'all are so awesome I can't even handle it. Feel free to let me know what you thought of this one and I'll see ya on the flip side!**


	13. Chapter 13

"I can't believe you're going on a date."

Tori shoved a sleeve out of her face and continued digging through her closet. "Trina, you really aren't allowed to be surprised by this." She picked up a pair of pants and quickly threw them over her shoulder. "You know Jade and I have been hanging out more."

"It's not _her_," Trina sighed heavily. "I just can't believe you're going on a date and I have _no_ plans. It's Friday night and you're my little sister," Trina whined. "_I'm _supposed to be going out and you're supposed to be stuck at home all jealous of _my_ love life."

Tori stuck her head out of her closet, grinning at her sister. "Aww, you're jealous?"

"No," Trina said quickly, picking at the sheets on Tori's bed. "I'm not jealous, it's just not fair."

"How's it not fair?" Tori chuckled and threw a shirt at Trina's head.

Trina swatted it away with a huff. "Because I'm, like, the hottest girl at school and you're such a dork!"

Tori rolled her eyes and turned back to her closet. "No offense, but you're not the hottest girl at school."

"Tori!" Trina balked. "I am clearly the hottest, because everyone knows that boys are intimidated by beauty, which is why they're all too scared to ask me out."

"Okay, one," Tori held up a pair of shorts and Trina shook her head, "_everybody_ doesn't know that." She tossed the shorts on her floor and continued looking. "And two, I don't think it's your beauty that intimidates them. What about this?" She held up a sparkly tank top.

Trina rolled her eyes and pushed off the bed. "Only if you're trying to blind her." Trina pushed Tori away from the closet and started rifling through her clothes. "And if it's not my beauty, then what is it?"

"I'm gonna have to go with your strong personality."

Trina's hands stilled, a pair of jeans hanging limply in front of her. "Strong personality? Tori," she threw the jeans on the bed and grabbed a random shirt, "boys don't care about _personality_." She tossed it on top of the jeans. "Seriously, it's no wonder you turned out to be a lesbian, you know nothing about the opposite sex." She waved a hand dismissively towards the garments on the bed. "Wear your leather jacket on top because it'll get cold if you stay late."

Tori tilted her head as she thought about Trina's choice of outfit. It actually wasn't bad. "Hey," she straightened up. "I'm not a lesbian. I'm just, y'know," she grabbed the jacket from her closet, "Jade-sexual."

Trina scoffed. "Yeah, okay, whatever. You've got five minutes in the bathroom because I wanna try those new bath salts I got off the internet." She headed towards the door, throwing a hand over her shoulder. "Have fun with your sexual awakening, sis."

Tori just shook her head as her sister left her room. Trina was out of her mind, but she cared about her. She was even being sweet about this whole thing. Well, as sweet as Trina could be. And then Tori jumped and rushed across the hall because if Trina was giving her five minutes in the bathroom, she _literally_ only had five minutes to do her hair and make-up.

Tori got ready surprisingly fast, and then wondered if it was maybe too fast, because she still had quite a bit of time before Jade was supposed to show up. After switching her shirt three times, only to end up with the one Trina had picked, she fixed her hair and headed downstairs.

"Hey, honey," her mom greeted from the sofa, not turning around.

"Hey, mom, do we have any backpacks lying around?" Tori asked, heading towards the kitchen.

"Your father has that one for camping in the garage," she answered idly, chuckling at something on the television. "Feel free to use it. He never does."

"Thanks," she chirped, opening the fridge. She grabbed a couple of bowls and eased the door shut with her foot.

A commercial came on the television and her mom stood up, grabbing her empty glass. "Whoa, Tori," she said when she finally turned and looked at her daughter. "Do you have a date tonight?"

Tori shot her mom a sly smile as she grabbed a plastic container from the cupboard. "No, mom. I'm just hanging out with a friend."

"Uh-huh," she said disbelievingly, refilling her water at the sink. "Who's the date with?"

"It's not a date, Mom." Tori rolled her eyes, picking one of the sushi balls she'd made earlier out of the bowl. "Just a friend from school." If Jade still wasn't comfortable with seeing Tori's parents, then she might not be okay with them knowing she was back in her life at all. Tori was okay with waiting until she was, even if she had to side-step around the truth for a bit. She had faith they'd get there in time.

"A friend from school," her mother repeated slowly, turning the tap off.

"Yeah, you know," Tori slapped the ball into the container, "a classmate. A peer, if you will. Someone whose company I enjoy and we're gonna, y'know," she shrugged, "hang out."

"And why are you making whatever _that_ is and asking for a backpack?"

"They're spicy tuna balls." Tori turned around with a small huff. "And it's not a date, Mom. We're gonna hang out at the beach and I thought we might get hungry, so I'm bringing food and stuff in case."

Mrs. Vega eyed her daughter wearily. "But it's_ not_ a date?"

"Just a friend. I know your rules," Tori went back to the sushi. "Dates have to meet you or Dad beforehand and submit to a thoroughly embarrassing round of questions about their 'intentions' and where we'll be at all times so Dad knows where to go to check for my dead body."

Her mother gave a quick nod. "Those _are_ the rules."

"And have I ever broken them before?"

"No," she answered hesitantly.

"Then this isn't a date." It was totally a date. A date that Tori was super excited about, but she wasn't about to admit that to her mom.

"Okay." Mrs. Vega stepped up beside her daughter and pressed a quick kiss against her temple, drawing a smile from Tori's lips. "But if it turns into a date, you'll have to introduce her to us."

Tori nodded as her mother wandered back to the sofa. "Yeah, Mom." And then Tori realized that she hadn't said anything about her 'friend' being a girl. "Wait, what do you mean introduce _her_?"

Mrs. Vega waved a hand dismissively at her daughter as she sat down. "We live in Hollywood, Tori. _Gay_ isn't a foreign concept to your father and me."

Tori sputtered for a minute. "I- I'm not- I'm not_ gay_."

"You're going out with a girl, right?"

"Well- I mean- technically?"

"It's okay," she said sincerely. "Go and 'hang out' with her, figure out if it's something you want to pursue, but remember the rules. Just because she's a girl doesn't change things." She turned the volume on the television up and added, "Your father gets home at midnight, so be back before then."

"Okay." Tori really didn't know what to think of that exchange. She hadn't even really considered the 'dating rules' because it was _Jade_. They'd already met Jade. They already _knew_ her. But, as she snapped the lid on the container and went to dig one of her old lunchboxes out of the cabinet, a few questions started to form in her mind. Like what would happen when they found out it was Jade. Her parents had always liked her. She was a constant fixture in their home for years. But… it was different. It would be different now, if she and Jade were dating.

Tori packed up the lunchbox, some water bottles, two flashlights, and an old blanket into the backpack. She thought about bringing the tent she and Jade used to camp in, but that was both a bad idea and a little presumptuous, so she quickly nixed the idea. The blanket should be good enough.

Tori shouldered the backpack, tugging the bunched up fabric of her jacket out from under the strap. "Alright, Mom," she said as she walked out of the kitchen, "I'm gonna go wait outside."

"Okay, sweetie, just remember-"

"Dating rules apply," Tori sighed with a small smile as she walked towards the front door, "don't get arrested, don't get pregnant, don't get dead." She pressed a quick kiss to the top of her mom's head as she passed. "I know."

"Don't do anything that will put you in a position for any of those things to happen. Although the pregnancy's less likely if you're going out with a girl. _But_," Mrs. Vega turned a smile towards her daughter as she paused at the door, "have a good time on your not-date."

Tori grinned and opened the door. "Thanks, Mom."

"Home by midnight and we meet her next time!" Mrs. Vega called out just as the door was closing behind Tori.

She waited at the end of the driveway, leaning against the streetlight between her house and Jade's old one. It was only ten minutes or so before headlights turned down the street and she straightened up, her neck craning to make out the car. And then a giddy little squeal escaped her as Jade pulled up in front of her house. Tori waved excitedly and hopped over to the passenger door, sliding the backpack off her shoulder.

Jade rolled her eyes and leaned over to open it for her. "Why are you standing outside in the dark like a hooker?" She asked, pushing the door open.

"Well," Tori climbed in, choosing to ignore the insult as she pulled the door shut, "my Mom's home and I figured I'd save you from having to interact with her yet. At least until you're ready." Jade gave her an appraising look, before grunting out a 'Thanks'. And then she looked, really looked, at Tori and her eyes slid closed. "What?" Tori's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. She'd_ just_ gotten in the car. The date hadn't even really started yet. There was no way she'd messed things up already.

"There is too much happening right now." Jade raised her hand slightly and held a single finger up. "One, how is it romantic or at all a surprise if I have to drive us wherever we're going. Two, you brought a backpack and made me wear comfortable shoes, which means you want to take me on some weird nature trail, which is ridiculous because it's a little cold and a lot dark outside. Three," Jade opened her eyes. "We match. Our outfits fucking match right now. We are _not_ one of those couples, Vega."

Tori rolled her eyes and shoved the backpack down by her feet. "Okay, one, it's still a surprise because even when I give you directions, you still won't know where we're going. Two," she pulled her seatbelt across her lap, "it is not a nature trail. Three," Tori gestured to her outfit, "our jeans are different colors, so are our shirts. Just because we're both wearing leather jackets does not mean we match. And four," another of her huge, dopey grins that always seemed to appear around Jade broke across her face, "we're a couple?"

Jade's eyes narrowed and she looked sharply out the windshield, contemplating Tori's question. Her eyes drifted back slowly. "It's gonna be dark where we're going?"

Okay, obviously Jade was choosing to ignore her question. Tori motioned towards the window. "Yeah, it's night."

Jade gave a sharp nod and put the car in drive. "Then no one will see our matching fucking outfits, so I guess it's fine this one time. Where to, navigator?"

"San Pedro," Tori frowned as Jade took off down the street. What on earth did she mean? Was Jade saying that if the date didn't go well, that was it? No second chances? Just tonight? Tori hadn't even considered that a possibility, because it was _Jade_. She figured that 'first date' meant the first step down a new road together. She didn't think that 'first date' meant '_first date_', where there might not ever be a second one. She was suddenly very nervous.

They'd been driving for a few minutes in silence, before Jade spoke up. "So, do you go to San Pedro often?"

"No," Tori answered, her fingers fidgeting with the bottom of her jacket. "I mean, not _often_, but sometimes."

"Hmm." Jade nodded her head slightly. "So what made you pick it for our date?"

"I just," Tori licked her lips. There was a slightly awkward air between them that was doing nothing to calm her nerves. "Where we're going is a pretty cool place and I just thought you might like it."

Jade hummed again, taking the turns that would bring them to the freeway. Several more minutes passed in silence, and the longer the silence dragged on, the less Tori knew how to break it. It was like a tangible thing settling between them. Separating them. Once they were on the freeway, Jade cleared her throat. "So how are you adjusting to Hollywood Arts? You're still pretty new there, right?"

Tori blinked slowly. Seriously, what in the heck was Jade talking about? "Fine? I guess?"

"That's cool. It can be a little overwhelming at first."

"Yeah," Tori said slowly, one of her eyebrows arching.

"You like all your classes?"

"They're okay." Tori was just staring at her, because she was being really weird.

"You gonna try out for the end of semester play? Sikowitz says it's a really good one."

"I don't know, I hadn't thought about it," she answered, her head tilting slightly. "Hey, Jade, why are you being so weird?"

"Hmm?" Jade glanced at her quickly before looking back to the road. "Oh, I'm sorry," she chuckled lightly. "Am I asking too many questions? You can just tell me to shut up and turn on the radio or something." And then, without waiting for a response, Jade just turned the radio on. "Feel free to change it."

"No," Tori murmured, settling into her seat and casting one last glance at Jade. "No, this station's alright."

It took them another half hour to get to San Pedro, and most of that was filled with listening to the radio. Jade would occasionally comment on how light the traffic was, or how bright the full moon was, or ask a really weird and random question, and Tori would just answer because she had no idea what else to do. She was a ball of nerves that just kept getting wound tighter and tighter with each minute that passed. She was messing this up. She was messing up their first date, and she was terrified that Jade wouldn't give her a second. But she didn't really know how to fix it because Jade was acting _so weird_.

"We're just taking the San Pedro exit?" Jade asked.

"Huh?" Tori blinked, taking in their surroundings. "Oh. Yeah." She sat up a little bit in her seat and nodded. "Yeah, and then left on Gaffey."

"Nice neighborhood," Jade commented after a few minutes.

Tori looked out the window just as they drove by several identical houses. Jade probably hated it. "Yeah, it's alright." A few more minutes, and then Tori was telling her to turn at the end of the road. "Just park anywhere."

Jade did as instructed, cutting the engine and plunging them into darkness as the headlights turned off. "So," Jade glanced out into the night, "we're doing a late night stroll through those trees?"

"No, actually," Tori turned in her seat to face her. "We're going in the other direction."

"Alright," Jade shrugged. The interior light came on when she opened her door, and Tori's hand shot out to stop her from getting out of the car.

"Jade, wait." Tori's eyebrows drew together. "Are you-" She took a deep breath and met Jade's confused eyes. "Do you not want to do this?"

"What?"

"It's just that you're acting really weird, and if you'd rather we just went home that's-"

"Tori." Jade lifted a hand, cutting her off. "I was acting weird because it's our first date. I thought," she ran her fingers through her hair with a shrug, "I thought that you might still be freaked out about the whole _skipping levels_ thing." Tori's head tilted as Jade shrugged again. "I was trying to treat it like a first date to make it feel more like level two or whatever. Less intense for you."

A relieved sigh escaped her. "Oh, my god. Thank you," Tori chuckled, "but please stop because it's freaking me out."

"Thank fucking Christ," Jade laughed. "That was the most awkward car ride of my life."

"Seriously," Tori joined in with Jade's laughter. "The traffic, Jade? _Really_? That's what you talk about on a date?"

"Well you weren't saying a damn thing," Jade accused with a smirk. "It's hard carrying a scene by myself."

Tori swatted her arm playfully. "If I wasn't so happy about you being normal again I'd be offended by that."

Jade's eyes danced with silent laughter under the small light above them. "So, no more acting like it's an awkward first date?"

"No," Tori shook her head quickly. "_Please_ no more."

"Good," Jade murmured. She leaned across the seat, her left hand cupping Tori's cheek as their lips connected in a sweet kiss. Tori's hand lifted, her fingers curling around Jade's wrist. Their lips moved slowly against each other, and they were both smiling when Jade pulled away a minute later. "It was kinda killing me not to do that earlier."

"Well, if you get the urge again," Tori pulled Jade's hand down and linked their fingers, "by all means, don't hold back."

"Oh yeah?" Jade smirked, leaning forward. Tori just nodded, fighting back a grin as Jade kissed her again.

It was several minutes before they finally got out of the car. Tori set her backpack down on the trunk and pulled out the flashlights, handing them to Jade so she could zip it back up again. "Seriously, Vega," Jade turned them on, shaking one when the light flickered, "where the fuck are we going?"

Tori pulled the strap over her shoulder and took one of the flashlights. "We're going on a little hike."

Jade groaned, throwing her head back as Tori set off into the dark. "Seriously? You're making me _hike_?"

"It's really cool," Tori said over her shoulder. "Hurry up or you'll get lost." Jade's frustrated stomps sped up behind her, the scope of her flashlight bouncing next to Tori's feet. "You don't mind getting a little dirty, right?"

"Depends on what you mean by _dirty_," Jade chuckled, falling in step next to her.

Tori rolled her eyes. "I mean actual dirt."

Jade's smirk fell. "Oh. That's less fun, then."

Tori laughed and nudged Jade's side with her elbow as they approached an iron fence. She shone her flashlight along the ground, looking for the hole dug under the fence. "Uh, Tori?" Jade asked from somewhere behind her.

"Yeah?"

"This sign says it's private property."

"Yeah."

"So it'd be trespassing if we go on the other side of this fence." Jade's flashlight grew brighter as she approached. Tori smiled triumphantly and knelt down, sliding the bag off her shoulder. She shoved it under the fence and looked up as Jade stepped next to her. "And it would appear that you are _totally _okay with that."

Tori grinned up at Jade. "What? Is Big Bad Jade West scared of a little trespassing?"

"No," Jade shrugged, "I'm just surprised that _you_ are voluntarily engaging in an illegal activity."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Tori said as she followed her backpack under the fence. She stood up, the white bars separating her from a gaping Jade.

"Seriously? What's the story with _that_?"

Tori pointedly let her eyes drag across the fence before grinning at Jade. "Join me on this side and find out." She bent down, snatching up her bag and quickly turning on her heel, stifling laughter at the sound of Jade hurriedly struggling to get under the fence.

"Vega!" Jade ran to catch up to her, the beam of her flashlight bouncing erratically. "Vega, what the hell?" Jade slowed down to a walk once they were next to each other. "Seriously. It's dark, I have no idea where I am, I've got nothing but a flashlight, and you're just gonna leave me like that? So much for romance," she huffed.

Tori bumped their shoulders with a smile. "I knew you'd catch up. I wasn't even walking that fast."

"So," Jade snapped her fingers, quickly changing the subject, "previous law-breaking. What up with that?" Tori spread her hands out, indicating the rocky dirt trail around them. Jade's dark eyebrow quirked, stark against her pale skin in the moonlight. "What? _This_?" Tori nodded. "Damn. I was hoping for, like, a crazy story about drugs and prostitutes or something."

"Drugs and prostitutes?" Tori chuckled. "I think this is plenty illegal for me."

"Please," Jade huffed. "Trespassing is like the vanilla ice cream of illicit activities."

"It is not vanilla," Tori protested.

"It is _so_ vanilla!" Jade laughed. "And the gross kind of vanilla, too. The super white, grainy kind."

Tori rolled her eyes. "Oh, like you're such a badass."

"Drugs and prostitutes, Vega." Jade shot her a pointed smirk and Tori felt her jaw fall open. She just stared, because she really wasn't sure if Jade was being serious or not. "Jesus. It's a long story. I'll tell you some other time," Jade laughed, switching her flashlight to the other hand so she could slip her fingers between Tori's. "Now tell me where the fuck we are."

Tori's mouth clicked shut and she shook her head. She wasn't sure she even _wanted_ to hear that story, so she shone her flashlight off to the right. "Well, there's the ocean-"

"No shit. The moon kinda lights it up."

Tori squeezed Jade's hand, silently telling her to shut up. "Do you want to know or not?" Jade smiled politely and nodded for her to continue. "Okay, so," Tori took a deep breath as they continued down the dirt path along the cliff, "back in, like, the 1920s this was all part of San Pedro. There was like streets, and houses, and stuff." Jade's brow furrowed, but Tori continued. "And then one day, out of nowhere, the road started slipping into the ocean. Like, the ground underneath the street crumbled and over a couple of years the whole thing just collapsed in a landslide. _And_," Tori said excitedly, drawing Jade closer to the ocean, "there's still chunks of it there. Like, big blocks of pavement and sidewalk and stuff."

The ground beneath them started sloping down, and Jade's hold on Tori's hand tightened. "And we're going down there?"

"Yeah, it's really cool." Tori kept her flashlight trained right in front of her feet, and Jade did the same. "It gets a little steep going down, so be careful."

They headed closer to the ocean, Tori's feet planting sideways, occasionally slipping a bit. She kept her balance, though, and didn't fall. Jade eventually let go of her hand, cussing up a storm as little rocks and chunks of dirt got kicked up by her feet. "Fucking stupid ass fucking dirt," Jade grumbled just as the ground leveled out beneath them.

Tori laughed, stopping to turn and wait for her to catch up. "It's not that bad."

"Getting back up's gonna be a bitch."

"You've climbed worse," Tori pointed out.

A not-quite-laughing scoff burst from Jade. "Not in a long ass time."

Tori held her hand out for Jade to take. "Yeah, and whose fault is that?" Jade's head snapped up, her eyebrows drawing together. It was too dark, and Jade was too far away, for Tori to make out the look in her eyes, but she had a feeling it was rather accusatory. She could read Jade. The tightness in her shoulders and the way her body was poised half-ready to run away. Tori didn't mean it the way that Jade had obviously taken it. It wasn't an accusation, or an insult. Just the truth. Jade had pushed _her_ away. Jade had cut _her_ out of her life, no matter how hard Tori fought to stay in it. Even when they reunited, Tori had taken most of the steps to get where they were. Not all, but most.

Jade's flashlight whipped up, almost blinding Tori, and she knew Jade was trying to see her expression. Tori would've done the same thing, but, y'know, _ow _that light _hurt_. Her hand was still outstretched, and she wiggled her fingers slightly, trying her best not to close her eyes against the bright light. "_You_ stopped jumping off the swings, Jade," she said softly, "so now I have to."

The light slowly lowered out of Tori's eyes, settling on her midriff instead. It was still bright, but she could see. Jade's foot shifted, and for a brief moment Tori thought she was going to turn around and leave. For a moment, it seemed like Jade believed she would, too. But then she shook her head and closed the distance, finally grabbing hold of Tori's hand. "I'm trying," she said roughly, "to get back to the place where I can."

"I know," Tori squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek gently. "I'm not blaming you."

"Okay." Jade motioned with her flashlight towards the ocean. "Continue the tour, then."

They held hands as they explored the Sunken City. They didn't let go of each other as they walked over huge slabs of broken pavement. It made it a little awkward when they had to climb, but Jade just shook her head and said, "Like I'm letting go of you again." And Tori just beamed back and said, "Like I'd let you."

Every inch of concrete seemed to be covered in graffiti. There were a few pretty cool pieces that Jade said were better than the stuff in the halls at Hollywood Arts, but most of it was just tagging. There were some illegible names, and a few people had just written things like 'shit' and 'fuck'. "God, if you're gonna illegally graffiti, at least be creative about it," Jade scoffed at a scrawled 'vagina'. "This is why ten year olds shouldn't be allowed to commit crimes. It's just embarrassing for those of us that put some fucking _effort_ into it."

"Oh, that reminds me," Tori tapped her flashlight against her chin, casting severe shadows across her face. "Drugs and prostitutes?"

Jade chuckled, causing Tori to grin as she lowered the light again. "Well, long story short, there were some crack heads on the strip who wanted to learn how to dance and a cop thought we were trying to, like, _procure illegal goods and or services_," she said in a deep voice, obviously mocking the officer.

Tori's eyes widened. "You can't just _long story short_ with something like that. Details!"

Jade shook her head with a light laugh. "No. Honestly, I wish I didn't even remember it. Cat still doesn't understand why we got frisked."

"Cat?!" Tori practically screeched. "You got_ Cat_ arrested?"

"_Frisked_," Jade clarified. "We weren't actually arrested. I think the officer thought Cat was _special_ and I was her caretaker or something. He let us go with a warning."

Tori shook her head. "I can't even imagine how _that_ went down."

"It was actually really funny," Jade laughed at the memory. "Like, _really_ funny. In hindsight."

"Yeah, probably not so much while it was happening."

"No," Jade breathed quickly with a grin. "Not at all."

They continued walking for a little longer, and Tori tripped once, her foot catching in a crack between two slabs. Jade caught her before she fell, though, and Tori gave her a sweet little kiss as thanks. "It's probably safer during the day," Tori mused as they climbed down a group of slabs that had broken into almost a staircase pattern, "but I like it more at night."

"How'd you even find this place?" Jade asked as Tori led her towards a dark cliff.

"Some people at my old school used to come here and party. There's an old sewage pipe back there," she gestured over her shoulder with her flashlight, "like the big ones you see in movies."

"Party in a sewage pipe? Classy."

Tori laughed loudly. "I know, right? My ex actually tried to, like, _make a move_ down there one time, which is why he's now an ex." Jade froze, causing Tori to be jerked back by their joined hands. Tori turned around, frowning at Jade in the darkness. "What?"

"I just…" Jade trailed off, her fingers squeezing tightly around Tori's hand.

Tori lifted her flashlight a little to see her better and took a step closer. "What is it?"

Jade moved forward a little, and Tori could see her face more clearly. Her brows were drawn together, her mouth turned down in a frown. "I just forget, sometimes, that you've had this whole other life I know nothing about."

A small smile pulled up the corners of Tori's lips. "I know what you mean," she said quietly. "You've written plays that got performed and I kinda hate that I wasn't able to see them."

Jade was quiet for a moment, her eyes searching Tori's in the moonlight, her grasp on her hand still tight. "How many?" She took another small step closer.

Tori blinked. They hadn't ever talked about boyfriends, had they? Tori knew that Jade dated Beck for a while, but that was only because they were still together when she started Hollywood Arts. They'd never really talked about her past, though. "Two," she answered. "They were both jerks."

Jade's grip got even tighter. "Are you a virgin?"

Tori could see Jade's eyes clearly, but she couldn't read the emotion behind them. "Would it matter if I wasn't?"

Jade's fingers twitched. "I don't know. I think it might, if it was with one of _those_ assholes."

"You don't even know them." Tori wasn't defending either of her exes, not by a long shot. She was just pointing out a fact.

"I don't have to know them," Jade said slowly. "You see the best in everyone, so if you think they're _jerks_, then that means they're actually fucking assholes. And you deserve better than fucking some fucking asshole."

Tori didn't know when they'd gotten so close. She could feel Jade's breath as she spoke, warm and in contrast to the slight chill in the air. "How many, and are you?"

"One and yes," Jade answered immediately. "Beck and I were together for a long time, but it never felt right. It's one of the _many_ reasons we drifted apart, I'm sure. You still haven't answered."

"I just told you that my ex _is_ _my ex_," Tori raised her eyebrow pointedly, "because he tried to sleep with me in a _sewage pipe_, Jade. You're smart. You can figure it out." Jade visibly relaxed and the circulation returned to Tori's fingers. She almost wanted to laugh at how tense Jade had gotten about the whole thing. "Are you always so jealous?" she asked with a small chuckle.

Jade turned her head away with a small huff. "I wasn't _jealous_. You just… deserve better," she finished with a shrug.

Tori smiled and pulled her hand away from Jade's. Her fingertips brushed across Jade's cheek, turning her face back towards her. "Better like _you_?" Something flashed in Jade's eyes and Tori licked her lips. She wanted to throw her whole level system over the cliff and into the ocean next to them, because Jade was so beyond anything that she could categorize. She and Jade were so far beyond anything she had outlined when she'd first started dating. A smirk curved across her lips. "Don't try it in a sewage pipe and you might stand a chance."

Jade's expression mirrored hers, and Tori's heart started racing. "So…" Jade's tongue darted out, her lower lip slowly catching between her teeth, "I'm guessing the backseat of my car _right now_ is also a no go?"

Tori kissed her. Hard. She couldn't stop herself, not that she really wanted to. She knew that nothing would happen. That Jade wouldn't actually_ try_ anything. But a part of Tori kind of wanted her to. Because in that moment, she would have done anything Jade wanted. Jade said that it had never felt right, and Tori knew that it had never felt right for her, either. And they'd missed so much of each other's lives, but here was something they still had. Something new that they might be able to experience together.

Her flashlight clattered to the ground and she didn't even care, because she had an arm full of Jade, and soft hair between her fingers, and Jade's tongue swiped across her lower lip and god, they were going so fast already but Tori's body wanted to kick it into overdrive. Jade's free hand slipped between her jacket and the backpack. She pulled their bodies close and the most delicious moan Tori had ever heard rumbled low in Jade's throat. It was like thunder, signaling the bolt of lightning that shot straight through Tori. Jade's hand slid up her back and Tori felt the weight on her shoulders shift.

Her head jerked back. "The sushi!"

Jade blinked slowly. "Excuse me?"

Tori's laugh was slightly manic and she placed a quick kiss to Jade's lips. "I'm so sorry. I made us sushi and totally forgot about it. Are you hungry?"

Jade just blinked again. "You made fucking sushi," she shook her head, slightly dazed, "and _forgot_ about it?"

"Yeah, I got a little distracted." Tori chuckled, letting her fingertips run across Jade's neck before dropping to her sides. She took Jade's hand in hers. "Are you hungry?"

"I think I'm more confused than anything," Jade mumbled, "but, yeah. Okay. Sushi, I guess."

"Great!" Tori bent down to pick up her flashlight. "I made spicy tuna balls."

Jade blinked yet again as Tori led her towards the edge of the cliff. "_Balls_?"

"Yeah, they were supposed to be rolls but they got a little carried away." Tori let go of Jade's hand as she slipped the backpack off her shoulders. She sat down and Jade just stood there, shaking her head.

"I don't even know what's happening right now."

Tori patted the concrete next to her. "Just come here and eat my balls."

Jade's head recoiled so fast she almost fell over backwards. "Fucking… I can't." The flashlight fell as she threw her hands up, dropping down next to Tori. "I can't even. Just gimme your balls, then."

Tori leaned forward to catch the flashlight before it rolled into the ocean. "Don't make it sound all dirty, Jade."

"You're the one who told me to _eat your balls_!" Jade grabbed the backpack and started unzipping it.

Tori blinked, watching as Jade pulled out the lunch box and some water bottles. "Did I?"

"Yeah," Jade shoved the lunchbox at Tori, "you really did." She pulled out the blanket, one eyebrow rising in curiosity at the hideous floral pattern. "Did your dead grandmother make this?"

"Yeah, before she was dead, though." Tori popped the lid off the sushi as Jade settled the blanket over their laps, scooting a little closer to Tori. "Here," she offered the container to Jade, "try one."

Jade reached into the container and cautiously pulled out a large, messy ball. She examined it in the moonlight and faint yellow glow of the flashlights standing up behind them. "Vega, what the hell are you trying to feed me? Do you _want_ me to die of food poisoning?"

Tori chuckled and picked up a ball for herself. "Just try it."

"I can't even eat this. It's bigger than my head."

"It's not that bad. Just shut up and eat it." Tori nibbled at the edge of her spicy tuna ball. And then her eyes widened, because it was kind of disgusting. Jade cocked a questioning brow and Tori forced herself to smile. "Mmm. Delicious?"

"Yeah," Jade nodded slowly, dropping her ball back into the container, "really convincing."

Tori threw hers back in as well and placed the container off to the side. "Man. They're hideous but I really thought they'd at least _taste_ good."

"You didn't even try one?"

"Trina tried the tuna when I was making them!" Tori protested pathetically. "She said it was good!"

"Yeah, because Trina's opinion can be trusted." Jade rolled her eyes, leaning back as her palms settled on the pavement behind her. "It's fine. I'm not really hungry anyway."

A small pout pushed out Tori's lips. She leaned against Jade's side and laid her head on her shoulder. "Sorry my balls were gross."

Jade's shoulders jerked with a snort. "You seriously need to stop talking about those things."

"Aye aye, Captain." Tori smiled as they fell into a comfortable silence.

There was a slight chill to the air, but they had the blanket, and Jade was really warm as Tori snuggled closer into her side, so she barely even noticed. Her hand settled on Jade's thigh with a content little sigh. She could really get used to this. Jade sniffed lightly, her head turning as her eyes scanned across the ocean. "I think I like it better at night."

"It's more peaceful," Tori murmured, tilting her head a little to look up at Jade.

"Yeah," she nodded slightly. "Like the world just kind of… ends. During the day, it looks like the ocean just goes on forever, but," the corner of her mouth twitched, "at night it looks like a totally different thing. Like we're just in this _really big_ room and the sky's just painted on the wall." She rested her cheek against the top of Tori's head. "I think I really like it."

Silence settled between them, but it wasn't awkward or at all uncomfortable. Tori just loved being with Jade. She liked that Jade seemed to have warmed up to the whole cuddling thing, at least in private, because Tori loved snuggling into Jade's side like that. She pulled the blanket up a little higher, letting her face turn in towards Jade's neck. She could smell the leather of her jacket, but there was a rich, sweet scent under it. It was elegant. It was _definitely_ Jade. And it pulled a smile from Tori's lips.

"Why are you being creepy and sniffing me like Sinjin?"

Tori chuckled lightly. "You just smell really good. What is it?"

"I dunno." Jade tilted her head down and sniffed herself. "Jasmine, maybe?"

Tori sat up a little bit, a broad smile stretching across her face. "I can show you the world," she said quietly. "Shining, shimmering, splendid."

Jade stiffened next to her. "Don't you _dare_."

"_Tell me, Princess_," Tori sang through small giggles, "_now when did you last let your heart decide_?"

Jade shook her head, wide eyes slowly turning towards the beaming girl next to her. "You cannot be serious right now."

Tori took a deep breath and just went all-out, sweeping her arm in a grand gesture across the dark sky above them. "_I can open your eyes, take you wonder by wonder_."

"Tori, you need to shu-"

"_Over, sideways, and under on a magic carpet ride. A whole new-_"

In one swift motion Jade was in Tori's lap, her hand pressing over Tori's mouth. "No," Jade tried to say seriously, but a trace of amusement seeped into her voice. "You need to stop." Laughter shook Tori's shoulders and she tried to pry Jade's hand off her face.

"Wor-"

"No!" Jade's other hand quickly clamped down.

Tori's eyes closed as she continued to laugh, and she slowly slumped to the side in hysterics. Jade's hand was still covering her mouth, but it was a much lighter touch. "Are you finished?"

Tori nodded, gently pawing at Jade's arm. Cautiously, Jade lifted her hand, like she was expecting Tori to burst into song again at any moment. Tori gasped, half out of laughter and half out of the need to breathe, as Jade slowly pulled her hand away, resting it on the concrete. Tori's eyes opened and immediately found Jade's, lit up with mirth as she struggled not to smile. Her lips parted and Jade's eyebrows immediately rose in warning, like she was ready to pounce again. A huge grin broke across Tori's face.

She was kind of curious what Jade would do to shut her up. Because she was still hovering over her, straddling Tori's hips, and totally had the upper hand already. Tori bit her bottom lip to keep her mischievous smirk at bay, and slowly crooked a finger. Jade's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she leaned down slightly. Tori raised her head, her lips twitching from the effort of not laughing. Jade's face settled into a pleased smile, and she leaned closer, clearly expecting a kiss, which just made Tori want to laugh even harder. Jade licked her lips and went to close the small distance, just as Tori breathed, "World."

It didn't actually deter Jade, and they were both grinning into the sweet, simple kiss. "You're such a fucking dork," Jade chuckled lightly, sitting up a little.

Tori folded her arms behind her head, her shirt riding up a little as a smug smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Yeah, but I'm _your_ dork."

An inquisitive brow arched as Jade's right hand settled on Tori's hip. "Mine?" Her thumb grazed the small strip of skin between her jeans and her shirt and suddenly Tori didn't find anything about this situation even the slightest bit funny.

Her shoulders tensed as her chin dipped in a nod. "Yours."

The weight above Tori shifted. Settled. Jade's knee slipped between her thighs, her hand sliding up Tori's side, under her shirt. The air was cool, but Jade's palm was warm, and Tori felt her body reacting in ways it never really had before to anyone else. She felt herself coming alive underneath Jade. She lifted her head and let Jade kiss her. It was slow, and sensual, and Tori's arms unfolded, snaking around Jade's shoulders.

Tori had some experience in this field. She'd done some stuff with boys, and some stuff by herself, because she _was_ a teenager, after all. But nothing could have prepared her for Jade. Tori felt like she could have a hundred sexual conquests under her belt and still be completely blindsided by the raw want that Jade inspired in her.

Jade was just so warm, and her lips were so soft, and god, Tori moaned as Jade's tongue made a teasing appearance. She was _so good_ at this stuff. Her hand was resting against Tori's ribs, just under her breast, and Tori kind of wanted to grab Jade's wrist and shove her hand under her bra because it was driving her crazy. Her fingers dug into Jade's shoulder blades as she turned her attention to Tori's neck.

And then two things happened simultaneously that made Tori completely unravel. Jade's lips sucked gently at her pulse point, and her hand _finally_ moved _up_. Tori's hips bucked, and Jade's thigh was _right there_, providing the perfect amount of pressure. "God," Tori moaned, her arms tightening around Jade's back. Her hips rocked again, and she felt Jade's lips curve into a grin against her skin. "_Fuck, Jade_."

Tori was kind of embarrassingly close to the edge and Jade wasn't even _touching_ her. Well, not really. Not the way Tori wanted her to. Jade's lips lifted from her neck and Tori quickly captured them in a desperate kiss. She had never imagined her first time being in such a public place, even if it was just the two of them there, but if Jade even _hinted_ at going further, Tori would totally, willingly agree. Screw going slow, or trying to take the levels in order. It was Jade, and Tori didn't give a flying fuck about anything else. It was stupid to try and fight her instincts, because she knew she'd cave to them eventually. And why deny herself the pleasure any longer?

"Baby." Jade's hand ran back down Tori's stomach, gripping her hip securely. She placed a soft kiss on Tori's lips and pulled back when she tried to deepen it. "Babe. Settle down."

Tori whimpered. She actually whimpered, like the stupid, horny teenager she was, and slid her hands down to rest on the small of Jade's back. "Why'd you stop?" She was pretty sure she was pouting, but she didn't care. She couldn't care because Jade was still on top of her and she didn't understand why they weren't continuing with the _totally awesome making out_.

Jade shifted again, pulling her knee out from between Tori's legs and, yep, there was another whimper. Jade chuckled softly. "I stopped because A," she squeezed Tori's hip, "the concrete and your dry humping is making my knee hurt, and B," her hand gently stroked her side, "what happened to going slow?"

"Forget everything I've said," Tori said way too desperately. Jade laughed and Tori flapped her hands frantically. "Look, if your knee hurts then I'll be on top and-"

Jade shut her up with a gentle kiss before lying down on her side next to her, resting her cheek on her fist and her elbow on the concrete. "Tori, you're totally turned on right now, and as fucking _awesome_ as that is for me and my ego, you aren't thinking clearly." Satisfied that Tori's hips were going to stop looking for friction, Jade released them. Her fingers gently tugged Tori's shirt down to cover her stomach. "We'll get there when we get there. But not here. Not like this."

"Why not?" Tori whined. She bent her left knee up and tugged at the lapels of Jade's jacket, trying to pull their bodies together again. And then her eyes widened in excitement. "What about that invitation for the back seat of your car?"

"The offer expired." Jade gave her a very sarcastic, unapologetic smile. "_Sorry_."

"You aren't sorry," Tori grumbled, letting her hands fall. Jade chuckled and Tori's eyes snapped to hers. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"It's not _at_ you," Jade replied with a small smile. "I just never thought that I'd be the one stopping things from going further." The smile turned into a bit of a disappointed frown. "It always feels like I'm losing control of myself around you."

"Well, you're _very_ in control of yourself right now," Tori pointed out. "If I didn't know better I'd say you weren't even having fun."

Jade's eyes widened comically. "Okay, I'm not gonna shove your hand down my pants for proof, but believe me. I was enjoying it just as much as you were."

That statement did _all_ sorts of things to Tori. Her brain short-circuited at the sheer amount of imagery and thoughts that suddenly flooded her mind. She licked her lips, watching as Jade's eyes darted down to follow the motion. "So, tell me again," she said slowly as Jade's gaze dragged back up. "Why did we stop?"

Jade's lips twitched. "I'm having a hard time remembering."

"Hey!" A bright light was suddenly flashing in their eyes and Jade's face scrunched in annoyance as Tori sat bolt upright.

"Right. That would be why." Jade rolled onto her back and threw a hand in the air. "Hello, Officer!"

"Oh God," Tori whispered while the light bounced around as the cop climbed down to where they were lying. "Do we run? Should we run?"

"Yeah, Vega," Jade rolled her eyes, "just jump right off the cliff. That won't be suspicious or anything." The officer came closer and Jade sighed heavily. "Just keep quiet and try not to panic."

Of course, Tori immediately started to panic. Her mom was gonna kill her. And then her dad was gonna bring her back to life just so he could kill her again himself. Sherwood High kids had parties there _all_ the time and Tori had never once seen the police show up. How unfair was this?

The cop quickly dragged his light from Jade to Tori to the blanket to the backpack before settling on Jade again. "What are you girls doing down here?"

Jade gestured towards the backpack. "Wanted a little picnic by the beach. There are some spicy tuna rolls left if you want 'em."

Tori couldn't make out his face, but his shoulders seemed to relax a little. At least he didn't show up five minutes ago when they were… occupied. He let out a sigh and sounded rather bored as he asked, "Do you know this is private property?"

Jade squinted against the light in her eyes. "Is it?" She threw a hand out and hit Tori's arm lightly. "Did you know that?"

Tori shook her head quickly and the cop shone the light back up the trail. "Which of you owns the car up there?"

"It's mine." Jade dug her license out of her pocket and held it up. She was still lying on her back, looking like this was just another random, uneventful Friday night.

The cop frowned and stepped forward, taking it from her. He looked over her ID before handing it back, turning to Tori. "How 'bout you?"

"I don't have my license yet."

"Aren't you like seventeen? What kind of seventeen year old doesn't have their license?"

Jade snickered, slipping her ID back into her pocket. Tori scowled at both of them. "I just had a little trouble with the test."

"Which part?" Jade asked.

"The," Tori glanced at the cop before hissing at Jade, "_the driving part_."

The cop shook his head as Jade laughed. "Alright. Okay, I know it's hella romantic out here," the cop sighed, and Tori quirked a brow. 'Hella'? "What with the full moon and the ocean and everything, but you _are_ actually trespassing, and need to head home."

"We honestly didn't know." Jade finally sat up, reaching for the blanket that had gotten thrown to the side during their little adventure. "We'll just pack up and leave."

"Yeah. We're really sorry." Tori frantically shoved the gross tuna balls and water back in her bag as Jade stuffed the blanket on top. Jade took the backpack from her and gestured towards the flashlights. Tori picked them up as Jade shouldered the bag.

"I'll walk you girls up. Some of the slabs are dangerous at night."

"Thanks," Tori shot him a genuine smile. "You're not gonna, like, arrest us?" Tori joked playfully as they all headed carefully back towards the trail. There was a hint of nervousness in her voice, though.

"Nah," the cop scoffed. "If we ticketed every teenager who snuck down here, we wouldn't have time for _real_ criminals. We'd be up to our eyeballs in paperwork."

Jade sidled up next to Tori, and very pointedly whispered, "_Vanilla_."

Tori gave her a rough elbow to the ribs, which Jade just laughed off.

"So, what school do you go to?"

"Hollywood Arts," Tori answered.

"Oh, yeah? My kid wants to audition there in a couple years."

Tori and the cop, Officer Purdy, had a positively lovely conversation about the school, and about his son who wanted to be a dancer. Jade rolled her eyes and walked ahead of them, struggling a bit with the steep climb back up to the path. Tori resisted the urge to put her hands on Jade's ass and shove her up. Instead she and Officer Purdy just casually climbed past her, and then patiently waited at the top for her to catch up. Jade ripped the backpack off and shoved it at Tori. "I told you that part would suck."

"But you made it up in one piece," Tori placed a quick kiss against her cheek, "and that's all that matters."

Jade grumbled something under her breath and jerked away, stomping off towards the iron fence they had climbed under. Officer Purdy shot Tori a sly smirk. "How long have you been dating?"

"Oh, no," Tori chuckled as they followed after Jade, "this is our first date."

"Really?" A look of surprise crossed his features. "I would've said a couple months, at least."

"Well, we've known each other for," Tori paused, deciding to settle on a version of the truth, "a while. We were just, kind of, dancing around our feelings, I guess."

He nodded seriously. "My Maria and I were the same way. It took me three years to get up the courage to ask her on a date."

"Wow," Tori breathed. "_Three years_?"

"I know," he chuckled. "I was young, and an idiot, and couldn't admit to myself how much I loved her."

Tori grinned at the happy little smile that pulled at his lips. "How'd it finally happen?"

The smile drooped in embarrassment and he cleared his throat. "Well. I won't go into details, but let's just say, a lot of liquor and a little luck. And then a year later, we were married with a baby on the way."

"In only a year?" Tori squeaked in disbelief.

"Hey, when you know, you know. You know?"

"Yeah." Tori's gaze drifted to the light moving ahead of them as Jade walked through the open gate. "I know."

Officer Purdy clapped her on the back. "Graduate high school first. If it's meant to be, you'll have plenty of time for marriage and babies later on." Tori was glad that it was dark out, and just hoped that her blush didn't show in the moonlight. Although, if she could see the twinkle in his eyes, he could probably see her cheeks reddening. Oh, man.

He chuckled and pulled a set of keys off his belt. "Okay, ladies." Jade was waiting for them, standing in the beam of the police cruiser's headlights. Tori walked through the gate and Officer Purdy pulled it closed after her. He locked it quickly and turned to them with a stern look on his face. "Don't make a habit of breaking the law. I'm letting you off easy this time."

Both girls fought laughter and nodded quickly. "We won't, Sir." "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Good." He cleared his throat and gave them a small smile. "Sorry about ruining your date. Drive carefully, and get home safe."

Jade quickly hurried off to her car, Tori following a moment later after giving the officer a small wave and 'Thanks'. She pulled open the passenger door, shoved her bag onto the floor and quickly climbed in. They sat in silence for a minute before they both broke out in hysterics. Tori buried her face in her hands, embarrassed laughter shaking her shoulders. "God, I can't believe we got busted by the cops."

"I can't believe his name is Officer Pretty."

"It's Purdy," Tori chuckled, sinking into her seat.

"Same thing," Jade huffed out with a laugh. "Jesus. I'm glad this wasn't a real first date, right? That'd be a terrible way to end it."

Tori's eyes snapped towards her, a slightly disbelieving, but totally confused smile settling on her lips. "What?"

"Come _on_, Tori." Jade turned slightly to face her, her temple leaning against the headrest. "We've pretty much been dating our entire lives. We're never going to have a clean slate, so what are we doing here?" Tori's brow scrunched and her shoulders lifted a little, because she didn't really know what Jade was asking her. Jade's hand flopped, palm up, on the seat between them and Tori slid her fingers between Jade's, squeezing gently. "You're Tori, and I'm Jade, and us being _together_?" She licked her lips slowly. "That's the most natural thing in the world to me."

"Yeah…" Tori didn't know if she was agreeing, or questioning, and Jade's lips tilted in response.

"So why are you trying to put up roadblocks?"

Tori didn't think she was. At least, she didn't think that she was trying to? Although, they had agreed to take it slow, but then that kind of went out the window when Tori pounced on her in the janitor's closet. And again on her bed after school. And _then_ _again_ earlier that night. So she warily asked, "What do you mean by _roadblocks_?"

Jade sighed, her thumb gently grazing across Tori's skin. "I mean, like, mixed signals." Tori's eyebrows rose at _that_. She was pretty sure the only signal she had been giving Jade was Go. "You tell me you want to take it slow, get to know each other. And that's fine, if you really feel that way. But then you throw yourself at me, several times, and I am so _not_ complaining," a roguish grin curled her lips and Tori smiled in response, "but it's confusing. I'm really trying to respect your boundaries, but I also want to do what feels natural. And it feels like those two things aren't compatible for you."

"I'm not doing it on purpose," Tori frowned. "The boundaries, they weren't entirely intentional. It's just overwhelming, and I think they were a misguided attempt to simplify it. But I don't want them there if it's gonna make you uncomfortable. Or," Tori's head titled as her eyebrows raised, "stop totally awesome make out sessions for no good reason."

"Well, it wasn't for no good reason. Your boyfriend Officer Pretty wouldn't have been so nice if he caught us dry humping," Jade said lightly and a smile twitched across Tori's lips. "So what do you want, then? Honestly." Tori pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and Jade sighed. "You have to talk to me here, Vega."

For Jade West, of all people, to be telling _her_ that she needed to open up more? It was ridiculous, and made Tori's head spin. And also laugh. She was laughing and Jade just smiled, waiting for an actual response of some sort. "I want to be with you," Tori tried to say seriously, but the chuckles made it hard. She took a moment to settle down before continuing. "But," Jade's smile faded and Tori took a deep breath. She hadn't even realized why she'd wanted to take things slow in the first place. At least not on a level that she _actually knew_. "I think," she swallowed thickly, "but I think I'm waiting for the bottom to fall out. Like, some part of me is almost expecting you to leave again."

Jade's hand tensed in hers. It was out there now, in the open, and Tori could see in Jade's eyes that some part of her was worried about that, too. She gave her a small, sad smile, as Jade's gaze drifted down to their hands. "I was just a kid, and I've already explained _why_ I did that," Jade said slowly. "I know there's no way to take it back, but I am so sorry about that. And it made me so fucking miserable, for _so fucking long_-"

"Hey," Tori squeezed her hand and scooted a little closer. "Still not blaming you." Jade's eyes lifted and she gave a small nod. "It's just scary, okay? Because being with you _is_ easy, and it feels _right_, but it's still _really scary_."

There was a shimmer of tears in Jade's eyes. "Good scary or bad?"

"Both," Tori answered honestly. It was exhilarating, like that brief moment after you jumped off a swing and felt like you were flying, suspended in air. But terrifying, because suddenly you were plummeting back towards the ground. And Tori had never broken her arm by jumping off a swing, but Jade had. And maybe that was the only difference. Tori's parents were still married. They were still _happy_. They were her main point of reference for how relationships should be, and it was a pretty decent model. But… Jade's parents were a fucking mess. And they'd made their daughter the same way. They'd soiled her view on love, and what it could be.

But Jade was trying. She had _been_ trying. And Tori finally _really_ understood what that meant. For Jade, and for her, and for them. Jade was kind of born with a broken heart, but she was trying to piece it back together, just so she could give it whole to Tori. And the fact that Jade trusted her enough to do that was the best kind of scary. Suddenly, every little step Tori had ever taken to get Jade back in her life seemed to pale in comparison to the few, huge strides Jade had made. She'd put _effort_ into it, into _them_, and that was more significant than anything that may have happened in the past.

Tori let go of Jade's hand so she could cup her face. She held her gaze and tried to put as much honesty into her voice as she could. "Love is scary, but I trust you, okay? _I love you_," Jade's eyes widened and Tori saw the breath hitch in her chest. "You and all your broken parts. I want us to do whatever comes naturally between us, but don't hold back or stop because you think that's what I want. If I'm uncomfortable, I'll knock you on your ass. And I know you'll do the same to me, okay?"

Jade's features softened, a small sigh escaping her. "Okay. And thank you. I love you, too, and all your dorky parts."

Tori beamed and kissed her like the world would end if she didn't, because really, fuck everything else at that point. She was Jade's, and Jade was hers, and she didn't know if there was an expiration date on their time together, but she really didn't care. She had Jade, finally and completely, and she was going to enjoy it for as long as it lasted. Which she kind of hoped was forever.

**AN This is sort of the next to last chapter. There will be one more, to tie up a couple of loose ends, but then that's pretty much it for this story. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites and PMs, feel free to let me know what you thought of this chapter, and I'll see y'all soon with the final one.**


	14. Chapter 14

**IMPORTANT AN: Sorry for the short notice about the end of this story, but like I said in the author's note in one of the previous chapters, it's already longer than I had planned for it to be. This has been a two year thing that I've worked on (and abandoned for a while,) and I feel like the original development I wanted Jade to have (because this story has always been about her understanding/fixing her own broken parts & how Tori plays into/affects that development) has been achieved, and I want to leave the two of them in a good place. In the start of something new and hopeful. So I'm sorry if any of you were surprised when I said this would be the last chapter, but it felt like a good place to end it.**

**Also, sorry about not updating at all during March. Some weird stuff happened.**

**So, without any further ado, here is the last chapter of this behemoth fucking story :)**

* * *

><p>They stopped at a food truck on the way back to Tori's, since the fucking tuna balls were an epic failure, and Jade hated that her car smelled like hamburgers and French fries. But Tori got a milkshake and when she kissed Jade goodnight, it was cool and tasted faintly like strawberries. Jade didn't walk her to her door, but did wait for her to get inside safely before leaving. And Tori's grin as she waved from her front step was so fucking adorable and sweet and sincere, that Jade couldn't stop the smile that stretched across her own lips embarrassingly wide.<p>

_Tori was_ _hers_. Tori was hers, and she loved Jade. It was stupid how happy that made her.

The house was empty, still, when she got back. Jade briefly considered finishing for herself what Tori had started earlier, but decided against it. She changed and climbed into bed, letting the soft smile playing on her lips ease her to sleep. And when she woke up in the morning, she was in such a good mood that she didn't even care about the random dude sitting at her kitchen table. She just thanked the house for having such thick walls and took a cup of coffee up to her room.

She cracked open a notebook and worked on transferring her latest screenplay to her laptop, editing as she typed. Her phone beeped from the floor, still in the pocket of her jeans, but she ignored it as she fleshed out the dialogue of a pivotal scene. A few minutes later though, it went off again, twice in a row, and she pushed away from her desk with a groan.

Her phone alerted her that she had three texts from Cat. She frowned at the screen, wondering what sort of apocalypse was happening as she tapped to open her messages.

_I had a dream u were a sandwich that could talk & Tori had 2 eat u 2 get u 2 shut up_

_wanna see a movie?_

_ 8?_

Jade's eyes rolled so hard they actually hurt afterwards. Awkward sexual innuendo aside, Jade actually missed Cat a little bit. They hadn't really hung out much lately, and it'd be nice to see her for a bit outside of classes. Her fingers flew across the screen as she sent back **Movie is fine, don't ever speak of that dream again** and tossed her phone onto the bed. She turned her attention back to her screenplay, running down the clock until she had to get ready to go out.

She got sudden déjà vu when she got to the theater, though, and Cat immediately ran up and clung to her, Tori and Andre chilling out a little ways behind her. "Seriously?" She demanded of the two just casually strolling towards her. "Do you have to load her up on sugar _every_ time?"

Andre pried Cat off her with a grin before leading her inside the theater. And Tori gave her a sly smile, which Jade returned with a scowl. "What did you tell them?"

"Nothing," Tori slipped her hand into Jade's with a little smirk. "Andre's grandma had a crisis, and Cat's brother was doing something with firecrackers, and Trina had a weird reaction to some bath salts, so we all wanted to get out early. You didn't even come up."

Jade's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she squeezed Tori's hand slightly. "I think I might try to talk to Beck after the movie. If he comes."

"Oh?" Tori's brows lifted curiously. "About what?"

"The growing political unrest spreading across the civilized world," Jade deadpanned before flicking Tori's nose. She didn't know where the action came from, but Tori's nose scrunched up adorably and she chuckled. "I assume the topic of you and I will come up at some point."

"You assume?"

Jade shrugged awkwardly through a small sigh. "He deserves to hear it from me. And besides, the faster he finds out, the faster we can be done with this shit. That way all our friends will know and it can be," she waved a hand dismissively, "_over_ or whatever."

"Yeah. Although it's not _all_ of our friends," Tori pointed out with a small smile. "Robbie still doesn't know."

Jade rolled her eyes. "He doesn't fucking count."

"He's your friend, Jade!" Tori swatted her shoulder.

Jade ripped her hand out of Tori's to shove a finger at her instead. "He is _not_! And if you ever say that again-"

"You'll what?" Tori laughed, taking a small step backwards, her hands lifting in mock defense. "You'll _flick_ me again?"

Jade took an aggressive step forward, ready to attack, but caught movement in her peripheral. Her head snapped to the side just as the boys in discussion were crossing the street. Robbie looked clueless, as always, waving with a huge grin, but Beck's brows were turned down, his eyes darting between the two girls on the sidewalk. Fuck.

"Good evening, ladies," Robbie said jovially, bending in a small bow.

Jade rolled her eyes and Tori returned the greeting. She could feel Beck fucking staring at her, and Tori quickly dragged Robbie inside to join the others, shooting a small, encouraging smile over her shoulder at Jade. "So, uh," Beck started awkwardly, "what was that?"

"You mean Robbie being his usual loser self?"

Beck sighed, his hand rising to rub the back of his neck. "Look, Jade, I-"

"I don't really want to see this fucking movie," Jade interrupted suddenly, surprising herself as the words left her mouth. Apparently it surprised Beck, as well, because his head tilted curiously. "There's a coffee shop down the block," she offered instead, her gaze staring down the street.

Instead of answering, Beck just nodded and started walking, Jade falling in step beside him. Neither of them talked during the walk, or while they were waiting to order, or for several minutes after they'd already sat down in two large arm chairs across a small table. Just when Jade thought the silence couldn't get any more oppressing, Beck sighed and leaned forward. "So, you're not gonna tell me?"

"Tell you what?" She didn't really want to tell him. She just wanted him to know, and be fine with it, but she didn't want to do any of the work that came along with that.

Beck set his mug down on the table. "Why you left me for Tori?"

Okay, whoa. Jade had not been expecting_ that_. "No," she said sternly, meeting his eyes for the first time. Tori didn't deserve any blame in this situation, and Jade wanted to make it perfectly clear to him that none of it was anyone's _fault_. "I did not _leave you_ for anyone. We were having problems before we broke up. We've always had problems."

His hand swiped through his hair as he leaned back in his chair. "I know that. I just…" his shoulders slumped with a sigh. "I have no idea what happened. I just want to understand."

Instead of answering, Jade took a sip of coffee, the caffeine surprisingly settling her nerves. Her fingers steepled around her mug as she studied him. He didn't seem upset, or angry, which was good. But he did seem a little sad. "It's complicated." He rolled his eyes, pushing out of his chair, and she immediately regretted her choice of words. Which just so happened to be the same ones that ended their relationship, in a situation very similar to this one. "No, give me a minute. I'm _trying_ here, Beck."

He looked at her for a moment before sitting back down. He let out a small sigh, nodding in resolve. "Okay. I'm listening."

Jade took another drink and shifted in her seat. "Tori and I kind of," she licked her lips nervously, "have a history." His brows tilted in confusion. "She knew me back when my parents were still together..." Jade took a deep breath, debating just how much to tell him. He knew her parents' marriage had been a fucking mess. _Everyone_ knew that. It still didn't make it any easier to talk about, though. "Her showing up again just brought back a lot of bad memories from when I was a kid."

His head slowly dipped in a nod, and Jade could see the pieces falling into place behind his eyes. Why she'd gotten extra distant and weird when Tori started at Hollywood Arts. Why she'd pulled away from _everything_ so suddenly. Even why she'd treated Tori the way she had. Beck was a smart dude, and Jade waited while he sorted through his thoughts. "Okay," he drawled with a hint of confusion still visible in his features. "So how did you go from that to…" his eyes flickered to the window, one of his palms lifting as they returned to Jade, "_this_? What even _is_ this between you two?"

God, why did Jade get stuck telling Beck? Why couldn't _she_ have gotten Andre? He probably just shrugged it off with a joke of some sort and then asked to be fed. Or write a song. But Beck…? Beck wanted fucking answers, just like he _always_ did. He wanted her to talk and open up, and she'd been trying to with Tori, but they were totally different people. It was fucking _hard_ with him. "_This_," she said slowly, "just sort of happened. And it's nice."

His eyes closed for a moment. When they opened again, there was a strange look in them. "Are you two _dating_?" Jade shrugged with a small nod and Beck's head recoiled a bit. She wasn't sure how to gauge that reaction. "Are you even _gay_?" Jade rolled her eyes, about to snap at him, but he instantly backtracked. "Sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." He leaned forward, pressing his palms against his face and Jade let him internally freak out or whatever. If she didn't feel so obligated to explain things to him, and if Tori wouldn't be disappointed in her if she didn't, she would've walked right out then and there.

She'd finished her coffee by the time he finally lifted his head, still hunched over. "So, you and Tori were friends when you were kids, you lost touch or whatever, and then she pops back into your life years later, and the two of you," his wrist rolled, his hand gesturing vaguely as he blew out a puff of air, "just start dating?"

"In the _simplest_ explanation of things," Jade huffed, "yes."

Beck stared at her blankly, before a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "And the complicated version?"

A small snort escaped her as she rolled her eyes. "You don't have time for the complicated version."

Beck chuckled, finally straightening up. "I'd say we've got over an hour until the movie finishes. Plenty of time." Jade's eyes snapped to his, trying to judge the smile playing across his lips. "I've always cared about you, Jade, and just because we've broken up doesn't change that. I'd like us to be friends. And friends talk to each other."

Jade didn't really know how to respond to that. He was the only boyfriend she'd ever had, and she didn't know what the standard rules were for associating with an ex after a breakup. She also didn't know _how_ to have friends, really. She had people she tolerated on a good day. People she used to kill time when she was bored. But she was always a little reluctant to call them _friends_. The only one she'd really ever had was Tori. And there was no way Beck could ever be like her. But… it would be nice,_ maybe_, to like, _have_ someone. After all, Tori had Andre to talk to. And, yeah, Jade had Cat, but that didn't really count. She was like a pet. And Jade _did_ care about Beck, too…

"So," Beck dipped his head to catch her eyes, a ridiculously hopeful smile still on his face. "Can we be friends?"

Jade pushed her empty mug across the table, a familiar smirk curling up the corner of her mouth. "Get me another drink and I'll think about it."

When they finally left the coffee shop, Beck was still confused. He said it was just a lot to wrap his head around, but he seemed okay with the _idea_ of Tori and Jade dating. Or seeing each other. Or whatever it was they were doing. He didn't ask for specifics, for once, and Jade didn't offer him any, as usual. She figured enough time had passed between their breakup and her spending time with Tori that he actually accepted Jade hadn't dumped him _because_ of the other girl. He apologized again outside the theater about that comment, and the gay one, and Jade shrugged it off because it was "No big deal or whatever."

Beck just laughed lightly, his eyes drifting to the large glass doors. "They'll probably want to grab food or something after."

"Most likely," Jade sighed, leaning her shoulder against a lamppost. "They're a bunch of bottomless pits."

Beck grinned, and then it turned into a bit of a grimace. "I think I might pass."

Jade's eyebrows lifted and she asked coolly, "any particular reason?" She knew exactly why, but wanted to see if he'd actually say it.

"I'm not gonna lie," he offered with a small shrug. "It's a little weird and I just need a couple days to wrap my head around it." Jade gave him a slight nod of understanding, and he took a small step closer to her. "You seem really happy."

Jade resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Don't get all sappy on me."

"I'm being serious," he said lightly as Jade folded her arms across her stomach. "You've been different lately. It hurts a little that it's not because of me, but it's still good to see."

Jade's throat constricted. He was such a sentimental bastard. So was Tori, and it was all turning her into a giant mush inside. She averted her gaze just as a crowd of people started streaming out of the theater. Beck cleared his throat and stepped away just as their group came outside.

"There you are!" Andre called as Cat loped along beside him. "We were wondering where you guys went."

"We decided getting a nice cup of coffee was a better use of our time," Beck joked as Andre pulled him into some sort of bro-hug.

"Right on, man." Andre clapped him on the back before releasing him.

"We were thinking of getting a bite to eat," Tori offered with a quick, curious smile in Jade's direction before looking to Beck. "You wanna come with?"

"I have to pass." His voice was a little heavy, but his smile was sincere and apologetic and Jade couldn't help but think that maybe he really _would_ be okay with everything, given a little time. Maybe they really could be friends. "I've still got a paper to write for science."

"No worries," Andre offered. "I can give Robbie a ride."

Jade kept leaning on the pole, watching, as Beck said his goodbyes. He even hugged Tori, lingering for a moment to whisper something in her ear. She gave him a small smile and a nod and he threw a hand up to Jade. She lifted her chin in response and he strolled away.

"So," Cat clasped her hands in front of her, "Karaoke Dokie for burgers and buffalo nuggets?"

Everyone agreed, and Tori took a small step towards Jade, turning to face Andre. "You guys go ahead, we'll catch up."

Cat giggled, shooting an annoyingly suggestive wink at Jade, and Andre just ushered them all off down the street with a chuckled, "See ya, chica."

When Tori turned back around, Jade's eyes were already waiting to meet hers, a light smile playing on her lips. Tori tugged at Jade's arms, forcing her to unfold them, and then her fingers were gently running down Jade's arms to lace between hers. "How was it?"

"Fine," Jade answered honestly, giving Tori's hands a quick squeeze. "He needs some time to process, but I think he's actually okay with it." She quirked an eyebrow. "What did he say to _you_?"

Tori beamed, dropping their hands as she stepped into her. Her arms wrapped around Jade's neck. "He told me to take care of you, which was really sweet."

"I'm not a child," Jade protested, even though her arms wrapped around Tori's waist, holding her close. "I don't need to be _taken care of_."

Tori kissed her softly, a small smile forming when she pulled away. "_Everyone_ needs to be taken care of, Jade. That's what love _is_."

Jade's eyes narrowed uncertainly, her arms tightening around Tori's waist. "And that's what this is, right? Love?"

Instead of answering, Tori just beamed, surging forward to kiss her again.

They didn't end up going to Karaoke fucking Dokie. Jade got Tori home at a respectable time, but it was still pretty late, and Tori's hair may or may not have needed some fixing before she was deemed presentable by the girl who had messed it up. And Jade just smiled as Tori waved, yet again, from her front step.

They agreed to meet for lunch the next day, and the _second_ Jade was in eyesight, Tori was waving her phone in the air, demanding they exchange numbers because somehow they still hadn't fucking done that. Jade entered her number into Tori's phone and saved it under 'Drop Dead Gorgeous', laughing when she saw Tori had saved _her_ number in _Jade's_ phone as 'Hot Mamacita'. They hung out for most of the day, just enjoying each other's company as they wandered down a few streets, stopping into random stores. And Jade reluctantly dropped Tori off back at home so she could have dinner with her family.

At school Monday morning, Jade greeted Tori with a kiss, and Beck gave them both small, but sincere smiles. Robbie fainted, because he was really _that _fucking clueless, and Andre and Cat just gave them both sly little smirks. Which Jade dismissed with a roll of her eyes and an annoyed huff.

They hung out after school at Tori's house, and neither of them got much homework done.

Tuesday they went out to dinner, on a proper date, and Tori beamed across the table the entire fucking time. Jade didn't even try to hide her own smile. Wednesday they all went to Andre's grandma's house to capture some sort of wild animal that turned out to be a mop in the closet. So he took everyone out for ice cream as an apology. Tori got home pretty late, because she had been teasing Jade the entire night with suggestive comments and coy little looks, and Jade had to pay her back for it. She didn't even fix her hair for her, so Tori looked like a mess when she climbed out of the car, slightly out of breath with the buttons on her plaid shirt all messed up. Thursday they actually worked on homework after school, but not for long. And Jade left Tori's house to the sound of her whining about how much makeup she'd need to cover the hickey Jade had given her.

Friday… well, Friday was a weird day. Tori wasn't there in the morning, and when she showed up halfway through Sikowitz's class, with a half-assed excuse and an insincere apology, she looked kinda haggard and tired, and not at all like herself. Jade frowned as Tori slumped into the chair next to her. She held her palm up, and Tori stared at it for a moment before slipping her fingers between Jade's. And Jade pretended like the moment of hesitation didn't bother her.

Tori wasn't at her locker before lunch, and she didn't show up at their usual table, and Jade went straight for the janitor's closet, where Tori was curled up against a fucking trash can. So Jade rolled her eyes and slipped her jacket off her shoulders, draping it over the sleeping girl. And then she sat on the floor next to her and closed her own eyes, even though she wasn't tired. The bell startled them both awake, and before Jade could even ask her what was wrong, Tori tossed her jacket back with a tight smile and fucking _ruffled Jade's god damned hair_ before leaving.

If Jade didn't love Tori so much, she would have dragged the girl straight back into the closet and _murdered_ her for that action. But, as it was, she did, so she didn't. She just seethed quietly, determined to get to get an explanation before the day was done. Tori ignored all the notes Jade tried to pass her in screenwriting, and for the first time ever, Jade left that class with an empty page in her notebook.

So at the end of the day, Jade stormed over to Tori's locker and slammed it shut so hard that half the occupants of the hallway skittered away out of fear. Tori just sighed heavily and opened it again, only for Jade to slam it shut immediately. They seriously did that five more times before Jade screeched, "_What the fuck is going on, Vega_?"

"It's nothing," Tori said with a strained smile.

And Jade saw right through it. "Bullshit! What's going on?"

Tori's entire body sighed, sagging as her arms folded across her stomach and she shuffled her feet a little. "You know how my parents are," one of her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. "They care about me, but they're really protective. They _know_ something's going on, and they kind of cornered me about it last night, so I didn't get much sleep."

Jade's eyes narrowed. "_Cornered you_?"

Tori's eyes shifted back to Jade's hand splayed on her closed locker. "They have these _dating rules_, and they know I'm lying to them about seeing someone, but it's fine."

"Dating rules," Jade repeated with a small gulp. She knew how the Vegas were, alright. "Lemme guess. They have to meet anyone you're interested in before you're allowed to date them."

Tori gave her a small nod. "But, it's fine. I know you aren't ready for that, and I'm not gonna pressure you about it. It's fine."

But it wasn't fine. Tori was lying to her parents for Jade's sake. To protect Jade from her own issues and emotions. And it was _clearly_ affecting her. "Hey." Jade's hands reached out and settled on Tori's hips. "It's gonna be fine." Tori still looked like a wreck, though, so Jade pulled her a little closer, and Tori's hands dropped to land on her arms. "What are you doing later?"

"Family dinner." Tori gave her a small smile. "Kinda have to be home."

"Okay," Jade gave her a sincere smile, a plan already forming in her mind. "Have fun and I'll see you tomorrow? We can hang out or something."

Tori gave her a quick kiss that was interrupted by Trina's noise of disgust as she flounced by. "C'mon, Tor. That pot pie's not gonna eat itself."

Jade squeezed her hips with a small smile before letting her go. "Don't worry about your parents. It'll be fine."

Tori didn't look the slightest bit reassured, or calmed, but Jade took a deep breath and watched her walk away. She tried to get some work done when she got home, since she'd been slacking all week, but she couldn't focus. Her nerves were on edge and a strange pressure had formed in her chest, so she just cranked her music up and did everything she could imagine to try and siphon some of the anxious energy she had. Nothing really worked, and she ended up almost poking her own eye out while trying to do her makeup. She threw on some tights, a skirt, and a long sleeved shirt. Casual, but definitely presentable, even though the combat boots ruined any attempt at 'nice'.

She stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at her front door for, like, five solid minutes, trying to talk herself into actually leaving her house. The only thing that got her feet moving was remembering what a fucking mess Tori had been all day. She doubted if Tori had ever outright lied to her parents before, and Jade hated that she was giving her cause to. So even though she was determined to try and fix the situation, it didn't mean she wasn't nervous as fucking hell to do it.

She drove past the Vega house three times before finally gathering the courage to actually stop the car. And then she stared at it for several minutes. She didn't even glance at her old house, which really should have given her some confidence in just how much progress she'd made with all this shit, but she was too fucking nervous to think about anything except what _might_ happen if she went and knocked on the door.

Jade stiffened when she saw a figure walking down the driveway. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as the silhouette slowly turned into… gross. Wrong Vega. Trina popped open the mailbox, removed a few letters, and Jade thought she was in the clear when suddenly Trina turned directly towards her car and sort of threw her hands up in the air. Like she was saying 'Well?' Jade rolled her eyes and shoved her keys into her purse, dragging it out of the car behind her. "What?" she growled as Trina started tapping her foot.

"I could see your car from my window for the past twenty minutes. I know you and Tori are…" she flipped her hair over her shoulder, "_whatever_ you are, but you're approaching an Edward Cullen level of creepy just sitting out here in the dark."

That was actually a good insult, not that Jade would ever admit it out loud. She rolled her eyes, shouldering her bag with a sigh as she slammed her door closed. "Yeah, well, I lost track of time while pushing pins into the voodoo doll I carry around of you."

Trina glared like she wouldn't put it past Jade to do something like that. She eventually just shrugged, flapping the mail at Jade as she turned back to the house. "Whatever. Door's unlocked, Freaky Friday."

"You should put on a little more makeup. I can still see some of your ugly," Jade smirked as Trina threw a rude gesture over her shoulder. As odd as it was, that little encounter actually managed to calm her down. She'd always had a fondness for trading blows with the Older Vega, both verbal _and_ physical, and it seemed like the familiar action had helped somewhat. Jade took another minute to gather her bearings before heading up the driveway.

She stared at the front door, debating whether or not she should just walk right in, but she wasn't a kid anymore, and she really doubted that action was acceptable now. So she lifted her head, straightened her back, and knocked. There was some rustling, and footsteps, and a very loud groan from someone that sounded suspiciously like Trina. Jade could just picture the fucking Vega Clan arguing over who got stuck answering the door. Jade was just about to knock again when it opened, and suddenly she really didn't know what the fuck she was doing. She didn't know what the fuck she was thinking when she'd decided to do this. She just… didn't fucking know anything.

Holly's head tilted, her eyes studying Jade curiously. "Yes? Can I help you?"

Jade tried to speak, but her throat was tight, so she cleared it and swiped a hand through her hair quickly. "Uh, is Tori home? I have…" Holly's eyes sparkled with _almost_ recognition, the confused crease in her brow deepening and Jade lost her nerve. She shoved a hand into her purse and pulled out the first thing she felt, "this thing for an assignment we're supposed to do." Unfortunately, what she'd taken out of her bag seemed to be a flyer for a Chinese restaurant she'd pulled off her windshield one day, and Holly's eyes narrowed.

"Jade?" Tori's head popped up from behind the kitchen counter, and David and Trina paused in their slap fight, each of them with a hand on the television remote, to stare at the door. David's momentary distraction allowed Trina to yank the controller away, and she just sank back into the sofa while _all_ of the other Vegas stared at Jade.

"_West?!_"

Jade flinched at the sheer volume of Holly's voice right in front of her face. "Yeah, that's me," she mumbled, shoving the traitorous flyer back in her bag.

Tori was running towards them and Holly's eyes just steadily grew wider. She was pushing her mother gently out of the way and then easing the door shut as she steered Jade to the small bench on the front porch. "Jade? What are you doing here? Why are-"

"Vega," Jade shushed Tori with a single finger pressed to her lips. Even just seeing Tori reminded Jade why she was there, and she felt her confidence coming back full force. "I never meant to put you in a position where you'd have to lie to your parents." Tori's eyebrows flew up her forehead, but Jade just pressed on. "You were a fucking mess today, and it was _really unattractive_, so I'm here to alleviate your guilt and meet them." She dropped her hand with a small shrug. "Again, I guess, since they already know me."

Tori's eyes flickered between each of Jade's. "You're sure? If you're not ready, it's okay."

Jade threw a hand out towards the house. "Do you really think your parents would let me leave _now_? C'mon, Tori, they're probably _dying_ inside to know what the fuck is going on."

A smile slowly spread across Tori's face, and she flung her arms around Jade's neck. Jade rolled her eyes, but hugged her back. She'd grown so accustomed to these random and intense Vega hugs lately that her body just reacted on instinct, holding Tori until she got the affection out of her system. "You have no idea how much I appreciate this, Jade."

Jade patted her back with a sigh. "Well, you can show me all the gratitude you want when we're alone. I accept payment in the form of coffee and sexual favors."

Tori laughed and pulled away, pushing at Jade's shoulders playfully. She beamed for a moment before grabbing Jade's hand and leading her back inside. Holly was sitting next to David now, and their hushed whispers stopped as soon as their youngest daughter was back in the room. Trina continued to stare blankly at the tv, and Jade's hand tensed a little in Tori's. "Mom, Dad," Tori started with a small smile, "you remember Jade, right?"

Jade didn't miss the way David's eyes narrowed slightly when they landed on their joined hands. But Holly shot her a heartfelt, if slightly confused, smile. "Of course, honey. How have you been, Jade?"

"Oh, you know, alive."

Trina snorted and David flicked her ear quickly, causing her to gasp at him. "_Dad!_"

"We have a guest, be polite."

"She is not a _guest_," Trina scoffed. "And you should punish Tori for ever inviting that vampire back into the house."

Holly immediately stood up, blocking Trina from view. "You'll have to excuse her, Jade. She missed her nap this afternoon."

"Say no more," Jade held up her free hand. "I understand how cranky toddlers can get when they're tired."

Holly and David chuckled lightly, while Trina made an offended noise behind them. Holly quickly stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Jade's shoulders. "Please, come in. Have a seat and I'll get you something to drink."

Jade sat as far as possible from the glaring Trina and placed her purse on the floor by her feet just as Tori plopped down next to her with a dopey smile.

"Here you go," Holly handed her a glass, and Jade's heart swelled a little bit when she saw the contents. The Vegas had always kept a fresh carton of mango juice in the fridge for her, and it seemed like they'd continued to buy it, even after she'd stopped spending time there. It was a little thing, but… her own mother usually didn't buy enough groceries for both of them, like she forgot there was even a second person living in the house, but Holly fucking Vega still remembered, _years later_, how much she liked mangos.

"Thanks," she said with genuine appreciation as she took a small sip.

"Of course," Holly replied, sitting back down next to her husband. "Have you eaten yet? The family pot pie should be ready soon if you want to stay for dinner."

Trina squeaked like that was the single most offensive thing she'd ever heard in her life. "You're letting her eat the _family_ pot pie?"

And Jade grinned as three other Vegas responded with "She's eaten it before."

Tori beamed at her, and Jade couldn't help but smile in return. Family pot pie, huh? She could get on board with that. "Sure."

"Great. Trina, set an extra place at the table." Holly patted her oldest daughter's knee and Trina's head fell back with a loud groan.

"_Why_?" she whined.

"Because it's your turn." David nudged her off the sofa. "Go or Jade gets your piece of the pie."

Everyone just sat on the sofas, stifling laughter as Trina glared and groaned and trudged and made a show of setting a place for Jade at the table, like she had just been tasked with building the Great fucking Pyramids all by herself.

David grimaced apologetically in embarrassment, and Holly just continued with her confused smiling. "So, Jade, how, um, how did you and Tori," she motioned between the two girls as Jade sipped her juice, "uh, get back in touch?"

"She goes to Hollywood Arts," Tori answered immediately. "We've kind of been hanging out again ever since I started there." Jade's eyebrow lifted because that was a bit of a stretch. Tori just shrugged lightly, and Jade nodded in understanding. It wasn't a _lie_, and it was easier than the whole truth.

David studied their guest seriously. "You _would_ go to that school."

Holly slapped his shoulder. "He just means that you were always very talented, even as a child. Do you still sing?"

"Yeah, she does," Tori grinned goofily and she bumped her knee against Jade's.

"I can answer for myself, Vega," Jade snapped, although there was no malice in it. Tori mimed zipping her lips and Jade rolled her eyes before looking at Tori's parents. "I still sing, but most of my focus is on writing and cinema studies. I want to make films once I graduate."

Holly cooed in excitement and scooted forward a little. "What kind? I love a good tragedy. One that really tugs at your heartstrings, you know?"

Jade leaned forward, a totally serious look in her eye. "I _love_ killing people." David's head tilted in slightly concerned confusion, while Tori's palm smacked into her forehead, but Jade just plowed on. "A well placed, really good death scene can completely change the tone of a film."

"I totally agree!" Holly nodded, standing up quickly to sit on the other side of her husband, closer to Jade. "Have you seen The Charlatans yet?"

"_Oh my god yes_!" Jade unceremoniously shoved Tori back into the sofa and climbed over her so she and Holly were just a few inches apart on the sofas. "It's brilliant! You spend the whole movie thinking that the wife is gonna die, but then bam!"

"It's the husband instead!" Holly threw her hands up with a grin. "I cried for an hour afterwards."

"It's true," David nodded solemnly. "Worst date night ever."

Jade didn't point out that she had been cackling with delight in the back of the theater, because it probably wouldn't get her on Holly's good side, but she nodded all the same. "It was a really great twist and totally made up for the ridiculously cliché thing with the neighbor."

"Oh, that was so boring, wasn't it?" Holly's eyebrows drew together distastefully. "I don't know how people can romanticize infidelity like that."

Jade just drank some more mango juice, because infidelity was still a topic that struck a little too close to home. Being with Tori's parents again was reminding her of all the good times she'd had in the house, but still. She spent so much time there to escape her own parents and, y'know, her dad was a heartless, cheating bastard that broke up his own marriage. "It's so great," she said instead, "to find someone who appreciates good filmmaking. You have impeccable taste, Mrs. Vega." She tilted her glass in a small toast.

"Hear that, honey?" Holly sat up proudly and nudged her elbow into David's ribs. "I have _impeccable taste_." She threw a hand out to rest on Jade's knee. "Sweetie, you can date our daughter as much as you'd like."

"Holly," David gestured between his daughter and Jade, "you still owe me twenty bucks about this whole thing."

"We made that bet a decade ago," she replied with a huff. "You can't hold me to it."

"Trina!" Tori shouted quickly as Jade chuckled next to her. "Is the pot pie ready yet?"

And Trina's bored voice responded, "It's actually a little bit on fire."

Jade laughed as the three other Vegas all leapt to their feet and rushed to the kitchen. She finished her juice and followed a moment later, watching the chaos as Holly and Tori tried to extinguish dinner while David reprimanded Trina for _not putting out the fire_.

One the pot pie was salvaged, things actually went really well. They didn't ask about her parents even once, but they wanted to know pretty much everything about how school was going for her, and once Tori mentioned that Jade had actually written plays that had been performed, the questions and praise never stopped coming. Trina left to go to sleep as soon as she'd finished eating, so the night got even better. Plus, Tori's hand was on her knee underneath the table for the entire thing, which made it even easier to handle, and Jade found herself wondering _why_ she'd been dreading the event so much. Holly dished up ice cream for dessert, and when Tori casually mentioned that Jade was the reason she'd gotten into the drawing class, Holly immediately got up to get Jade a second helping.

"That _almost_ makes up for you two not telling us sooner," David said, his voice light but his face serious. It had been a long time since she'd talked with him, and Jade wasn't sure if he was joking or actually mad.

Tori rolled her eyes, her hand squeezing Jade's thigh reassuringly. Okay, joke then. "I'm sorry about that. I just wasn't sure how you would react."

"It's fine," Holly said sweetly, giving both girls a big smile.

"It, um," Jade's hand found the one resting on her leg, and Tori immediately turned her palm up, entwining their fingers. "It's actually my fault," Jade said slowly. She didn't have to give them the entire truth, but it might not hurt to let some of it out. "I was just really nervous about seeing the two of you again after so long. And I kind of asked Tori," Jade dragged her gaze from Tori's parents to the aforementioned girl, whose eyes were lit up with so much fucking love that Jade couldn't help but grin as she finished, "to keep us a secret which was really unfair of me to do and I'm sorry about that."

Tori was trying really fucking hard not to fling herself at Jade. Her entire body was tense with the effort it took to restrain herself since they were still sitting at the kitchen table. David cleared his throat and started gathering up empty dishes, and Holly was humming some noise of affection in her throat as she followed her husband to the sink.

But the girls only had eyes for each other. And Tori opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Jade cocked a brow. "Just remember," her voice lowered to a sultry whisper, "coffee or sexual favors."

Tori jumped out of her seat like she'd been shocked. "Can I go over to Jade's for a little bit?" Tori glanced from her parents to Jade, her eyebrows lifting. "We have that thing to finish for Sikowitz."

Jade smirked, standing up as well. "Yeah, it's a really important scene we're supposed to have ready by Monday."

"I don't know," David said warily, looking to his wife. "It's getting late. Besides, didn't Jade come over here to bring you the assignment?"

Holly batted his arm and grinned at their daughter. "It's fine, sweetie. Just be home by curfew."

"Thanks, mom!" Tori hugged her mother and then practically attacked her father with a massive one as well. He just grumbled something but fought back a smile as he patted Tori's back.

Holly turned to Jade, and before she even knew what was happening, she was being pulled into a hug with Mrs. Vega. Something that hadn't happened for a very long fucking time. And Jade didn't seem to mind. She even hugged her back for a moment. "It was good to see you again, Jade," she said sincerely as she pulled back, her hands holding onto Jade's shoulders for a moment. "You're welcome back any time."

"Except for sleepovers," David said sternly. "You can hang out downstairs, or with Tori's door open, but there's no more blanket fort building or camping out or anything where we can't keep an eye on you two."

Tori groaned in embarrassment, but Jade just chuckled. "You got it. I'll keep my hands to myself."

"Glad to hear it. Tori's too young to be defiled, even if it is by-"

"Okay, bye!" Tori grabbed Jade's wrist and _dragged_ her out of the house before her father could finish what was sure to be a hilariously embarrassing sentence. Jade was barely even able to wrap fumbling fingers around the strap of her purse Tori was so desperate to get out of there. "You better not have been serious," she said darkly as she finally released Jade's arm when they reached the sidewalk.

"Your dad has _guns_, Tori." Jade quirked a brow. "I'm not getting on his bad side any time soon."

"He's not _that_ scary," Tori huffed and rolled her eyes. "So, where do you wanna go?"

Jade's eyes flickered to her car, then back to Tori. "I thought we were going to my house?"

Tori's head tilted, her expression impossible to read. "I just said that to get us out of there. We don't have to."

"It's where your parents think we're going," Jade's shoulder jerked in a shrug, "so we might as well." Tori studied her for a minute, and Jade just lifted her eyebrows. "We going or what?" Tori's lips curled in a smile and she threw herself at Jade again. "Okay, seriously, what is _up_ with you?"

"I'm just so happy and proud of you." Tori was swaying both of their bodies side to side in her excitement and Jade, as gently as possible, fucking shoved her away. It didn't even put a dent in Tori's beaming smile. "You're so amazing."

She rolled her eyes, the warmth of a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Yeah, well, I've been trying to be the person you seem to think I'm capable of being."

Tori shook her head, her smile turning sweet and kind. "You don't have to _try_, Jade. I see you for you, and you're fucking incredible."

Jade couldn't even bring herself to reprimand Tori for the language. She just reached out, taking Tori's hand in hers with a smirk. "Then maybe I've just finally started seeing myself the way you do."

They went back to Jade's empty house, and the moment they set foot in Jade's room, Tori burst into tears, trying to insist that they were _happy_ tears when Jade started freaking out. But Jade was just puzzled and uncertain, because crying is a _bad _thing, but Tori was _beaming_ behind tear-soaked eyes. "Seriously," Jade forced a laugh, nerves making her hands a little unsteady as they cupped Tori's face, before her expression turned deadly serious. "You're not having some sort of breakdown right?"

Tori shook her head with a grin, still crying, and kissed Jade. Almost desperately. "Your room!" Tori managed to choke out between broken sobs and frantic kisses. And Jade's head slumped comically. _That_ was why she was freaking the fuck out? She really should've known.

"Jesus, Vega, it's just a fucking room! No need to _cry _over it."

Tori swatted her arm. "But it's _your_ room."

"Yeah, I _know_ that," Jade smirked as her thumbs gently wiped the wetness from Tori's cheeks, "seeing as I _live_ in it."

Tori's sobs had quieted, and no fresh tears were coming from her eyes, although they were still glistening like she might burst again at any moment. Jade slowly dropped her hands, wary that the crying might start up again. "_Thank you_," Tori gasped before flinging herself at Jade, her arms wrapping tightly around her neck.

Jade held her for a moment, before patting her back, trying to put some space between them. "Look, it's," she gave up on ending the hug because Tori _was not budging_ and just held her to keep her from fucking crying again, "it's not a big deal, okay? It's just a room and this is just a house."

"But it's _yours_!"

"Technically the house is my birth-giver's," Jade corrected with a slight roll of her eyes. "Nothing is _mine_, except for my car." Tori's face nuzzled in her neck and Jade couldn't help but add, "And you."

"Always me," Tori murmured in response.

"Yeah." Jade rubbed her back soothingly. "So there's no need to cry, okay?"

Tori sniffed and pulled back with a small chuckle. "They were _happy tears_. It's okay to have happy tears."

"_Any_ kind of tears are not okay," Jade grumbled, finally breaking their embrace. She kicked off her boots and padded over to her bed, launching herself onto it and landing on her back.

"Where's your mom?" Tori asked as she took a small step towards Jade's desk.

"Who the fuck knows," Jade scoffed. "She'll probably pour herself into bed around dawn, like usual." Tori's eyes darted between Jade and various things on the walls and shelves. Jade rolled her eyes playfully and flicked a hand in the air. "Try not to break anything during your exploration."

Tori leapt into the air with excitement and set off to examine all of Jade's things. And Jade just folded her arms behind her head, resting on her pillow and smiling to herself as Tori's attention drifted from one object to the next. She started at the desk next to the door, her eyes scanning the large poster hanging above it. "Seriously?" Tori questioned with a small laugh, looking over her shoulder.

Jade shrugged, an awkward movement given her position, as Tori turned back to the poster titled 'Top 200 Misspelled Words'. "As frighteningly brilliant as I am, even_ I_ need a reminder every once in a while."

Tori's shoulders shook with silent laughter as her fingers traced over various little trinkets littered across her desk. _Finger away_, Jade thought as Tori moved on to the bookshelf. It apparently bored her, though, because she moved on rather quickly. Understandable, given that most of the books were reference material. Dictionaries, thesauruses, manuals on proper formatting. Boring to most people, but vital for Jade. Tori stared for a long time at a large shadow box that sat on top of her dresser. Jade shifted her head a little to the side, her brows drawing together curiously the longer Tori looked at it.

"I remember," Tori said slowly, lifting a hand to touch the glass, "when you kept one. And it had died by the time we woke up. Why the butterflies, though?"

"The firefly looked lonely all by itself, so I started collecting other things, too. And there's only one butterfly," Jade corrected gently. "The others are all moths."

Tori wheeled around, her eyes wide in shock. "Even the rainbow one?"

Jade grinned, because that was the one she liked best. "It's the Madagascan Sunset moth."

"But," Tori's head whipped back to the box before her eyes darted to Jade again. "But I thought moths were just, like, brown things? Ugly and," she made a weird flying gesture with her hands, "creepy."

"You should know better than to judge a book by its cover." Jade shot her a quick wink.

Tori's mouth turned down in a playful frown. "When did you become such an expert on bugs?"

"I'm not," Jade smiled, moving her arms so she could fold her hands across her stomach. "I just got curious one day about why fireflies glow, and it kinda led to researching other insects when I got bored of being alone in an empty house."

"Oh." A shadow of sadness flickered across Tori's eyes, but she quickly shook it away and stepped closer to the bed, a smile settling across her features. "So why _do_ they glow?"

Jade smirked. She didn't want to ruin the magic for Tori by telling her the truth, so she just winked again. "It's magic. No scientific explanation at all."

Tori rolled her eyes, gently slapping Jade's foot. "Tell me."

"Nope."

Tori tried a pout, and a whine, and even puppy dog eyes, but nothing cracked Jade's resolve. She flat out refused to answer. "I can just find out for myself," Tori said threateningly.

"Then you'll have to do that, because I'm not telling."

Tori huffed and turned her head away, losing herself in thought for a moment while Jade just chuckled. But the laughter died in her throat the moment Tori looked at her again. Because her eyes were narrowed, and a smirk was pulling up her lips, and her eyebrow was lifted in a way that had Jade gulping. "I could _make_ you tell me." It really should be illegal for Tori to ever speak in that tone of voice, so rich and seductive it bordered on dangerous.

Jade licked her lips, her own brow cocking in response. "And how do you propose to do _that_?"

Tori leaned forward, her palms resting on either side of Jade's legs. And good god damn, Jade knew they had agreed to just do whatever came naturally, but she had no idea Tori was capable of crawling up her body like a fucking jungle cat. If she_ had_ known, she probably would have made an addendum banning Tori from ever doing it, just because there was_ no_ way she'd be able to control herself if Tori kept looking at her like she was about to be eaten alive. Jade felt her chest rising and falling rapidly, her breath coming in shallower, rougher little pants as Tori's lips hovered over hers.

"Tell me," Tori breathed.

And there was no way in hell Jade was going to tell her now, because it was _guaranteed_ to kill the mood. Instead, she just smirked, steadily holding Tori's hungry gaze. "_Make me_."

Jade's heart slammed against her ribs as Tori's lips pressed, hard, against hers. It was slow, and smoldering, and Jade's hands slipped under Tori's shirt, sliding up her back and holding on for dear life. The body in her arms felt heavy with the weight of _memory_ and _time_. Their history was a tangible thing that existed between them. It hummed and glowed and Jade welcomed its presence. Because she'd never liked hugs, or cuddling, or the pressure of a body against hers, but that weight in her arms belonged to _Tori_. And that made all the difference. It always had.

"Is this okay?" Tori murmured, her lips brushing across Jade's neck, pressing light kisses over every inch of pale skin she could.

Jade's eyes remained closed, her fingers digging into Tori's back. The only response she could give was a whispered, "It's perfect."

She told Jade she was beautiful. She told her she loved her. Tori _showed_ her she loved her, her hands and lips slowly prying open the iron grip Jade had kept over herself. And Jade returned every kiss and caress, finally letting go of her control. She let herself get lost in the weight and the warmth of _Tori_ and everything that meant. They'd come so far, on their own_ and_ together, and it was exactly how Jade had always imagined it. Loving Tori, and being loved _by_ her, was the only wish Jade had ever made. And it came true as that hum, that glow that existed between them burst into life, like a summer night coming alive under a blanket of stars.

It was beautiful. And it was right. And it was _Tori_.

Who was everything Jade had ever wanted.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, that's the end, everyone. I just want to thank each and every single one of you who have stuck with this story through all the terribly inconsistent updates. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed or favorited, and thank you to those who never have, but kept reading anyway. I know there's A LOT of you, so you get a special little mention, too.<strong>

**This has been a really hard story to write, for several reasons, but I've managed to actually work through some of my own shit doing it. So thank you for every single review encouraging me to continue, because they really were the reason why I finished this. It's going to kill me to have to mark this as 'Complete'.  
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**Y'all are too awesome for words :)  
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**(And just to save y'all from having to Google it, fireflies glow as part of a mating thing. Which I feel like Tori would think is gross.)**

**((Stay awesome because you are all majestic, glorious people!))**

**(((The parentheses are going overboard, but feel free to leave a review if the fancy strikes you, you beautiful creatures.)))**


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